Marion County to consider using ARPA interest for taxpayer refunds

File photo: Kathy Bryant, the chair of the Marion County Commisiion, speaks during the Planning and Zoning Commission and DRC Waiver Requests Public Hearing about the proposed World Equestrian Center Sports Facilities at the Marion County Commission auditorium in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, July 21, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.

At a recent budget meeting, Marion County Commission Chair Kathy Bryant proposed an innovative use for the county’s $7.5 million in interest earned from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds: returning the money directly to taxpayers.

Bryant, emphasizing that the interest is “essentially taxpayer dollars,” floated the idea of sending refund checks to residents.

“At the end of the day, this is taxpayer money. It came down from the federal government. We used it for what we were allowed to use it within the parameters we were allowed to use it, and now we have the $7.5 million in interest that is essentially taxpayer dollars. Personally, I would like to try to figure out a way to give it back to the taxpayers,” she said.

Clerk of Court Greg Harrell advised that because the ARPA interest is a one-time, nonrecurring revenue source, it would be fiscally prudent to apply it to nonrecurring expenses, such as capital projects, rather than ongoing costs.

“Because it’s of a nonrecurring nature, it would be probably preferable that it be applied to some sort of nonrecurring expense because if it gets applied to a recurring expense, then you get into a situation where you’re having to fill that gap next year,” he explained.

Bryant clarified that she was still more inclined to send refund checks to the public.

The commission also discussed the logistical and financial challenges of mailing checks to over 100,000 homestead parcels as well as the possibility of providing a credit on tax bills to reduce administrative costs. Other options included using the funds to support capital projects or bolster county reserves.

Commissioner Carl Zalak also expressed a desire to add to the budget plans for festivities surrounding America’s 250^th birthday, but Bryant remarked that tourism development tax dollars could be used for that purpose.

No final decision was made at the meeting, but Bryant directed staff to research the feasibility and costs of the options, with a follow-up discussion planned for the next public hearing on Monday, Sept 22, when the commission anticipates adopting a budget of $1.55 billion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2025.

The county budget has grown by roughly $330 million since the 2021-22 budget year.