Legislature may not have the right to tell Sedgwick County how to spend its COVID aid

The state Legislature wants Sedgwick County to turn over about $35 million to compensate businesses for restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the county may not have to, officials say. Senate Bill 273, passed early Saturday morning in the final hours of the legislative session, would require the county to set aside 35% of its funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for a state-run business compensation program. The county will receive about $100 million through ARPA, meaning it would need to set aside about $35 million of that, said county Chief Financial Officer Lindsay Poe Rousseau. But new federal regulations governing the spending of ARPA funds conflict with the state’s plan, said Justin Waggoner, the assistant county counselor who’s handled most of the issues involving the pandemic. “The federal guidance came out earlier this week,” Waggoner said. “I think the Reader’s Digest version is . . . the regulations and guidance says that states cannot dictate to municipalities how they can spend ARPA funding.”
Source: Wichita Eagle.