County Board Opts To Allocate ARPA Funds To East Mills Child Care Solutions

The Mills County Board Of Supervisors will use some of its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to meet its $20,000 commitment for 2024 to East Mills Child Care Solutions.
The supervisors’ $250,000 pledge to the child care center project included an initial payment of $150,000 (also ARPA dollars) and $20,000 annually through 2028.
The supervisors made their decision to make the 2024 allocation to EMCCS with ARPA funds after discussing their options with Mills County Auditor Amber Farnan at their regular meeting Tuesday morning. The $250,000 EMCCS is receiving from the county matches the commitment supervisors gave earlier this year to Kid’s Place childcare center in Glenwood.
ARPA is federal funding approved in 2021 by Congress and President Joe Biden to assist local communities with recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mills County was awarded nearly $3 million ($2,984,746). All ARPA funds must be designated by Dec. 31, 2024, and actually spent by Sept. 30, 2026.