by Emmitt B. Feldner
for The Beacon

SHEBOYGAN – A spending plan for $11.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds won County Board approval Tuesday – but not unanimously.

The appropriations across six general program areas were approved by a vote of 22-3, with supervisors Brian Smith, Suzanne Speltz and Carl Nonhof voting no.

The vote authorizes spending over the next three years on initiatives in broadband expansion, behavioral health and crisis response, childcare expansion, affordable housing, transportation and workforce development.

The spending proposals were developed by six different public/private study groups established by the county last summer.

Those groups forwarded their recommendations to the board’s Executive Committee, which prioritized them and then developed the list approved by the board.

“The process was collaborative and forward-thinking,” Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Deidre Melei, who chaired the workforce development task force, told the board. “Your willingness to seek public input was phenomenal.”

She was one of six representatives of the various task forces who addressed the board urging adoption of the spending plan.

“This is not a process that has taken place in other counties,” noted Kristin Stearns, CEO of Lakeshore Community Health Center. “This is not just about the next three years in Sheboygan County, it’s about our future, so we can create the best Sheboygan County possible.”

“This is a historic County Board meeting,” County Administrator Adam Payne said in his report to the board.

“These ARPA funds have never happened before and may never happen again. Folks stepped up. I thank you all who were involved for your leadership and your cooperation.”

 The American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021. It provided funds for local governments to aid them in recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

“First and foremost, I want to thank all the people who did this work. This is no disrespect for the people who came forward and all the work they’ve done,” Speltz said in explaining her no vote.

“I wasn’t in favor of the community shutting down in the first place,” in response to COVID-19, she continued. “I believe this was an infringement on our constitutional rights.

“With any free monies, I think there are a lot of strings attached,” Speltz said of the ARPA funds. “I’m just not convinced that government programs are always the answer. I think this has led to inflation.”

Nonhof agreed that the $1.9 trillion ARPA bill is not free money. “This was added to our deficit,” he stated.

Nonhof also said the original legislation was intended to address the impact from the coronavirus pandemic, “but I didn’t hear any of the speakers mention COVID. I just don’t connect the dots.”

Smith questioned what would happen to the spending initiatives and new programs after December 2026, which is the date by which when all ARPA funds must be spent by the county.

“What we’re hoping is that more dollars can be leveraged,” Payne responded, adding that some of the initiatives are one-time and others are designed to be ongoing.

County officials will be looking at ways to keep some of the new programs going beyond the ARPA time frame within the county’s budget, Payne said.

“Time will tell what the impact will be,” he said of the spending efforts. “Hopefully this will have a significant impact.”

The county received a total of $22.4 in ARPA funds. The balance of that amount has already been spent on hiring incentives, bonuses and pay raises for health care and law enforcement employees to meet staff shortages created by the pandemic.

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The board approved the sale of 2.264 acres of land at the County J gravel pit to Road America.

The purchase was requested by Road America. It consists of roughly the north 80 feet of the 35-acre gravel pit property, which is directly south of the race course.

The resolution states that Road America wishes to use the land for “providing further access for emergency services and spectators.”