Benton County commissioners introduced two resolutions intended to reallocate ARPA grant proceeds into expenditure accounts for Harbor Town Utility and Community Development Partners but pulled both items when the panel did not have the two-thirds quorum needed for an appropriation.

Mayor Ward, speaking during the public-comments portion, said the measures would close out projects funded with old ARPA dollars and allow contractors to be paid. "These 2 resolutions that we have tonight are old ARPA money that we're closing out projects with," Ward said, adding that the county's grant writer "is trying to get this portion paid because until these checks clear and she can have a copy of the canceled check, she can't put in for the final." Ward said the issue has persisted "for 3 years" and warned that contractors and future grantmakers may be deterred if payments remain delayed: "they're gonna really frown on Benton County for not paying their bills. Who's gonna wanna give us a grant going forward? And who of the contractors are gonna gonna wanna bid on any of our projects if we hold them up on their money."

The meeting agenda—introduced and approved earlier—listed Resolution No. 1 as "to budget funds received from the TDEC ARPA grant to proper line items for expenditure to Harbor Town Utility and Community Development Partners." The chair confirmed the resolutions were pulled after Ward asked that they be deferred until a later date because the body did not have the two-thirds presence required for appropriation votes. Ward said she would bring the items back next month. The chair stated, "Those our our resolutions have been pulled."

No formal vote on the ARPA re-budgeting took place; the resolutions were not amended or adopted. Earlier in the meeting commissioners approved the agenda by voice vote. A motion to adjourn was moved and the meeting concluded shortly thereafter.

The record does not state the exact dollar amounts involved in the re-budgeting, nor does it include a formal vote tally for the agenda motion beyond a voice 'Aye.' The transcript identifies the grant source as the TDEC ARPA grant (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation ARPA funds) and describes the action as moving previously received ARPA funds from ARPA-designated accounts into expenditure line items so contractors could be paid.

Next steps: the resolutions were pulled for reintroduction at a future meeting (Ward indicated next month); no further procedural directions or formal deadlines were specified in the transcript.