Lowndes County Supervisors ink deal to help spend ARPA Money

Supervisors getting help with "strings" attached to American Rescue Plan Act money

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Money from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) will be coming to Lowndes County, and supervisors want to make sure it’s spent the right way.

Under ARPA, spending projects have to meet certain conditions, and counties have a time window to complete the projects.

The Federal Government is still in the process of finalizing those rules.

At Wednesday’s meeting, supervisors voted to contract with the Horne Group of Jackson to help the county work within those guidelines, and to prioritize projects when the money becomes available.

Board president Trip Hairston says it helps to have someone knowledgeable to navigate through the process.

“And we know that this money comes with a lot of strings attached, of course. There are some issues we have with the State Auditor’s Office to make sure we do things properly, and from the Federal side of things, and we feel like the Horne Group, who we chose, is the best for that.”

Plans for ARPA funded projects must be made by December of 2024, and the money has to be spent by September 30th 2026.