Kane County board OKs $18 million in American Rescue Plan-funded projects

The Kane County Board on Tuesday, May 14 approved spending about $18 million in federal COVID-19 relief money on a variety of programs and projects.

Amounts included $51,600 for anti-violence behavioral health programs in Aurora and $863,000 for the Kane County Food and Farm Resiliency Project. The list also included $3 million to start a countywide economic development organization.

The rest of the money would be spent on a slew of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing projects, mostly at the Kane County Judicial and Juvenile Justice centers in St. Charles, the Kane County Courthouse in Geneva, and at the jail and the sheriff’s shooting range.

The farm-and-food project aims to give grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 to at least 35 operators who grow or process food in Kane County. The allocation also pays $108,000 for a consultant to run the program.

The federal government allotted $104.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to Kane County.

Of that, county officials designated $42 million for projects by county departments and elected officials.

In March, the county board rejected spending $6 million in ARPA money to start design and site work for a new headquarters for the health department. It had been proposed the county spend up to $18 million in ARPA funds on the building.

County officials said in March that the county has until the end of 2025 to spend the money.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240514/news/kane-county-board-oks-18-million-worth-of-arpa-funded-projects/