photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

After weeks of deliberation, Douglas County leaders this week will take the final step in awarding the county’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The Douglas County Commission since its June 15 meeting has been discussing which of nearly 100 requests for ARPA aid should be funded. The result of those efforts is a pared-down list of 14 requests from agencies such as nonprofits and 25 requests from internal county departments. Commissioners will decide whether to approve the final list and authorize county staff to prepare award documents for the recipients.

The list of external asks is highlighted by a $3.6 million request from the Community Children’s Center to acquire a pair of buildings intended to increase child care capacity in the county; a $3 million request from the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority to expand the agency’s Clinton Place property; and a $3.3 million request from Tenants to Homeowners to help fund the agency’s supportive service housing program.

The summary also includes a list of existing obligations for other expenses and emergency funding requests during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. All told, the county received and is set to have allocated $23,747,378 in ARPA funding.

In other business, the commission will:

• Conduct a public hearing accepting comment on a proposed rescinding of minimum maintenance on a portion of East 750 Road in Marion Township.

• Consider approving a pair of conditional use permits for heavy equipment storage.

Wednesday’s business meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting will also be available by Zoom. For meeting information, visit the county’s website: dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings.