‘The plan is, we’re still planning’

Porter County mapping out uses for $33M in relief funds

Porter County will receive just over $33 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and county officials are already talking, at least preliminarily, about how to move forward with the funds.

“The plan is, we’re still planning,” said County Council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, adding he and Council President Mike Jessen, R-4th, met with Board of Commissioners President Jeff Good, R-Center, and Scott McClure, the county attorney, to get the discussion going.

The act, passed earlier this month, provides funding for a national COVID-19 vaccine program; stimulus money to households and extended pandemic-related unemployment benefits; small business assistance; and funding for schools and municipalities.

“We still don’t have enough information yet to decipher all the details,” Good said, adding those details are slow in coming and once they become clearer, commissioners will work with Auditor Vicki Urbanik and the County Council to implement a plan for the funds.

Rivas said he would like to work with the public accounting firm Baker Tilly, which already is doing work for the commissioners and the auditor’s office, to take a comprehensive look at the county’s finances, something last done several years ago by Umbaugh and Associates.

That review, Rivas said, would

take a look at the county’s revenue and expenditures, make sure the county follows the guidelines on how to spend the federal funds and perhaps help the county build a road map for the future.

“What better time for the council to engage a consultant already working with the county,” he said, adding Baker Tilly also could provide guidance to the council on streamlining its fall budget process.

Commissioners recently approved contracts for preliminary studies to look at the physical condition of the Porter County Jail and the Memorial Opera House. Funds for projects at both those facilities also could come under discussion since the federal dollars can be used for infrastructure, Rivas said.

He has talked to some council members about the funds and expects further discussion with the full council. Their next meeting is March 30.

“It’s the perfect time to engage some financial experts about where we’re at and where we’re going,” Rivas said.