County commissioners reviewed regular bills on May 16 and discussed ARPA-funded work on a Wichita Valley water improvement project, current payments and reporting responsibilities.

A county official said the project has incurred about $22,000 in payments so far and that county staff had been told construction activity would ramp up at the end of the month. County staff also said the original ARPA agreement was signed in August 2022; the contract language does not specify a completion date of Dec. 31, 2026, though staff said they have notified the project lead (Danny) multiple times about timing expectations.

Commissioners asked whether the county has a contract with the project manager; staff said Wichita Valley is the ARPA subrecipient and is responsible for reporting expenses back to the county. One commissioner asked whether Core (named in discussion) was managing the project; staff clarified that Wichita Valley holds the contract and that Core acts as a subrecipient manager in some capacity.

No formal action or vote was recorded. Commissioners requested continued reporting on project spending and timelines; staff said they would monitor progress and report back when additional invoices or ramped construction activity are received.

The discussion occurred during the agenda item for regular bills and ARPA expenses and focused on ensuring ARPA reporting and timelines remain clear to the court.