Madison County awards more than $8 million in stormwater project funding
by Randy Pierce • More than $8 million in funding has been designated by Madison County for projects in various locations that will help improve conditions concerning flooding and stormwater drainage.
The money comes not from the county’s general fund but instead originated with the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 which was approved by the United States Congress and signed by the president in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
An amended resolution approved by the Madison County Board at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 15, spells out the details of the process by noting the new funding extension concerns ARPA money that was not expended and can be used by the recipients involved until June 30 of the current fiscal year.
The recipients that are benefiting from this process and the amounts they are eligible for include Collinsville Township – $250,000, the Village of Maryville – $718,250, Jarvis Township (which takes in most of Troy) – $250,000, City of Troy – $235,000 and Village of Glen Carbon – $212,500.
In 2021, the county received a total of $51,078,063 in ARPA support and has used much of it since then. This is the same program which provided personal “stimulus checks” to the nation’s residents from a $1.9 trillion economic package proposed by President Joe Biden to speed up the United States’ recovery from the economic and health effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent ongoing recession.
That federal legislation, after being reviewed and acted upon at various levels in Washington, D.C., was passed by the United States House of Representatives on March 10, 2021, by a vote of 220–211 then signed into law by President Biden the next day which was the first anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.
The resolution approved by the county board earlier this month was presented by its finance and government operations committee, which is chaired by Chris Guy of Maryville. The funding spelled out therein had actually been authorized previously so this legislation represented a change in the deadline by which the recipient government units should use it.
When discussed by that committee, it was pointed out the county actually has until the end of 2026 to expend all of its ARPA allotment. The resolution, however, specifies the June 30 deadline for the various stormwater projects so that the county will have time to reallocate for other purposes any of the money which is not spent before Dec. 31. The county’s goal is to not leave any of its ARPA grant money unused.
