In 2021, the city of Wichita received $72.4 million and Sedgwick County received $100.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. At the time, it was a lifeline for the local governments, allowing them to continue services and to pay staff who would have otherwise been laid off for an extended period. As part of accepting the funds, local governments agreed to two deadlines: Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate all of the funds and decide where they will go, and Dec. 31, 2026, to spend the money that was allocated. The funds have to be returned if not obligated or spent by their respective deadlines. While the city and the county have met the fund-obligation deadline, Sedgwick County decided to wrap up its ARPA dollar expenditures by the end of the year based on advice it received from the Government Finance Officers Association. Despite ARPA being a Trump Administration program, the advising group told the county the incoming administration might change federal guidelines on how the money should be spent, which could lead Sedgwick County into having to cover the costs through its general funds.
Source: Wichita Eagle
