Trappe council considers uses for remaining ARPA funds

TRAPPE — Town leaders held a workshop on Wednesday afternoon to discuss potential ways to allocate outstanding funds from the American Rescue Plan Act in Trappe.

The town has about $758,000 in ARPA funds that must be obligated by the end of 2024 and used by the end of 2026. While no formal decisions were made, the Trappe Town Council did agree to look into securing two new trucks for its public works department.

Town Administrator Erin Braband said that the town’s current two trucks are “at their last leg.” Council President Brian Schmidt estimated that the costs for two trucks could be around $150,000.

Braband also presented the idea of buying new water meters for the town since the current ones are about 20 years old. This would allow the city to directly receive reports, along with allowing residents to track hourly water usage and receive usage emails.

Council members were open to using ARPA funds for new meters and radio-read transmitters. Braband estimated the cost may be around $175,000.

Much of Wednesday’s discussion centered around the town’s roads. Town Attorney Lyndsey Jones Ryan warned the council about using ARPA funds to pave roads due to a lack of “clear guidance” at the federal level on whether it falls under allowed uses.

Though she said towns like Federalsburg have allocated ARPA money towards paving, she pointed out that there is a risk the town would end up responsible.

Council Member Jeremy Newnam also expressed concern about beginning work to pave roads before a lead lining initiative this October that may necessitate tearing up the roads for repair.

“I just really worry about paving roads and then possibly having to tear them all up in a couple months,” Newnam said. Schmidt agreed, saying “it would be an awful shame” to have newly-paved roads and then tear and patch parts of the road.

Another workshop is planned for early August. No ARPA funds will be officially allocated until the council takes a vote at a council meeting.