Funding New Infrastructure Projects

County officials are beginning to entertain funding requests for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) dollars being allocated the county, and the clock is ticking on getting at least half of the dollars spent.
Commissioners recently learned that Moody County itself will see $1,277,311 from the SLFRF, part of the American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in March of this year.
Half of that money is to be allocated by the end of the year, the other half in 2022. Funds need then to be fully distributed by 2024 and spent by 2026.
The City of Colman and Big Sioux Community Water System, Inc. were the first to broach County Commissioners with possible funding requests and to learn more about what projects might be eligible to receive funding — both were present at a County Commission meeting in mid-November. Each are working separately on infrastructure projects they hope will qualify.

Much of the funding is to be used on investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure projects, but how this might all work is still being determined, according to Human Resources Director Tawny Heinemann.
She added that the board isn’t making any allocation decisions on the funds yet, as they are waiting for final clarification on what is eligible.
 “We have contracted with First District and Eide Bailly as the guidance for eligible projects is very broad, and new information is being released every couple of weeks,” said Heinemann.
Both the City of Colman and Big Soux Community Water System, Inc. are working on some major new projects, especially to accommodate growth throughout the county. We’ll detail more on each project, along with any other inquiries, in an upcoming edition of the Moody County Enterprise.