Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As citizens, we expect sensible and productive services from our elected officials and governing bodies. Work that not only runs the body in an efficient way, but does so in a way that sets the future for continued growth and stability.

That’s why we were happy when the news came out that the Mower County Board of Commissioners have now earmarked all funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) with the goal of having it all spent on much needed areas within the county in the next six months to a year.

Many of these projects include IT infrastructure updates as well as program support including those for mental health.

Mind you, they didn’t have to spend it. New guidelines from the federal government allowed those entities who received less than $10 million to simply put it in the bank and leave it if so desired.

But the county chose to continue using the money in order to take care of those programs and areas that needed that money.

It might be simple to ask, “why didn’t they just save it?” An honest question, but by using the funds now they insure that those investments will not be interfered with in case something else comes up.

In the end, this money is being used on things taxpayers will not have to pay for.

People in Mower County should be pleased with how commissioners and administration handled the shepherding of the money that came to the county. We will all be that much better off for it in the future.