GREEN COVE SPRINGS — The Clay County Board of County Commissioners reviewed where more than $20 million in federal disaster relief funds would be spent during a workshop last week and approved the money at Tuesday’s board meeting.

In August, the county allotted $14.9 million of $42.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, money that can be used for numerous disaster-related expenses.

Clay County Manager Howard Wanamaker said ARPA funds can augment the Capital Improvement Plan and revenue streams.

“The thing with ARPA is, there’s a lot of rules with it,” Wanamaker said last week. “It’s very restrictive.”

On Aug. 24, commissioners approved spending the funds on the following five items:

• Clay County Jail improvements — $4.85 million.

• Clay County Health Department renovations — $4.75 million.

• Broadband improvements — $2 million.

• Clay County's health insurance plan — $2 million.

• Stormwater study — $1.3 million.

Last week, Assistant County Manager Troy Nagle also presented an additional 10 items for commissioners to consider that would cost about $22.8 million. The 10 items include $6 million for stormwater projects, $3 million for Indigo Branch drainage improvements, $2 million for physical and cybersecurity improvements and $2 million separately for park repairs, constitutional requests and community programs. Some projects are split over two or three fiscal years.

On Tuesday, commissioners received an update from Nagle before unanimously approving the funds. About $900,000 designated for Pine Ridge project improvements was moved from the CIP to the ARPA spending.

“It’s allowed under ARPA because it’s stormwater-related, so we would bid it out under ARPA guidelines and free up money in [the Capital Improvement Plan] for other purposes,” Nagle said.

Based on a prior recommendation, $2 million allocated for the Clerk of Courts office for network improvements was further broken down into 11 individual items for clarification purposes. Nagle also said staff recommended $4 million set aside for the county health insurance plan, rather than $2 million, to help offset potential premium increases.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in claims and a lot of that is related to COVID,” Nagle said.

The county can also use ARPA funds for essential worker pay, but that was not an addition to ARPA spending Tuesday. Nagle estimated paying 1,400 staff for hours worked would be $9.2 million with benefits.

The commission has until Dec. 31, 2024, to commit the money and Dec. 31, 2016, to spend it if it is an infrastructure project, Nagle added at the workshop last week.

With broadband coverage, Commissioner Jim Renninger felt some areas were adequately served already. Nagle said swaths of Middleburg from Blanding Boulevard to Carter Spencer Road, and Carter Spencer Road to County Road 301 were targeted, as well as two areas in Keystone Heights.

“It’s a very diverse county in that regard,” Renninger said.

Commissioner Wayne Bolla asked if ARPA dollars could be spent on license plate readers, noting the technology’s widespread use in neighboring St. Johns County. Nagle said cameras had to be on a county facility to qualify for ARPA.

Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said technology like license plate readers do factor in the sheriff’s office’s plans for enhanced surveillance.

“Any opportunity to add cameras or license plate readers, I’m in favor of it,” Cook said.

She said the jail has a capacity issue and she asked commissioners for COVID-related pay for sheriff’s office employees, which is more than $3 million.

“Our deputies, our dispatchers, our folks that had to come in every single day during COVID, I would like to request there be a consideration for COVID pay or additional pay,” Cook said. “ARPA does allow for some of that.”

After Tuesday, the county now has $4.7 million in ARPA funds that haven't been designated.