DATE: May 12, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Pacheco, Supervisor, District 1
SUBJECT: American Rescue Plan Act - State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve use of available funds under Department of Public Works and Planning’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act - State Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARPA-SLFRF) for additional work at the Veterans Liberty Cemetery to fund the design, build, repairs, and installation of an entrance sign at Veterans Liberty Cemetery to supplement the new perimeter fence and improve accessibility and visibility of the Veterans Liberty Cemetery to the public.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will provide necessary revenues to fund the design, build, repairs, and installation of an entrance sign at Veterans Liberty Cemetery (VLC). The County’s ARPA-SLFRF Program anticipates cost savings to be identified from the Department of Public Works and Planning’s (PWP) awarded ARPA-SLFRF programs. In anticipation of ARPA-SLFRF cost savings becoming available, staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors approve up to $50,000 in funding availability which will be assigned to the VLC and will honor the final resting place for individuals who served in the United States armed forces and improve visibility and encourage access to the VLC. The VLC is a green space in Fresno County that is open to the public and increased visibility and improved public access to the VLC will promote physical wellness in the members of the public who visit the VLC. This addition is within substantially the same scope and for substantially the same purpose as the original project provided for in Interdepartmental Agreement No. 24-591. Approval of the recommended action will support the County’s efforts to expend available ARPA-SLFRF funds by June 30, 2026. Although this pertains to a location in District 1, this item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose not to approve the recommended action, in which case the West Franklin Avenue entrance to the VLC will not display the cemetery’s name. Any potential funding availability will not be assigned to VLC to help expend the County’s ARPA Program by the County’s June 30, 2026, expenditure deadline.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will reinvest funding availability recovered from programs included in the FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget for Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Org 1033 - Disaster Claiming, Fund 0026, Subclass 91021, Account 7910.
DISCUSSION:
The U.S. Department of Treasury’s (Treasury) Final Rule requires ARPA-SLFRF recipients to expend their award on eligible uses by the end of the ARPA-SLFRF period of performance, December 31, 2026. To meet Treasury’s expenditure deadline, in March 2025, the CAO’s Office established the June 30, 2026, deadline for all programs to submit their final claims for eligible ARPA-SLFRF expenditures.
On November 20, 2023, Treasury published the Obligation Interim Final Rule (Obligation IFR) which amended the definition of “Obligations” and included additional flexibility with respect to the ARPA-SLFRF program.
After the SLFRF obligation deadline of December 31, 2024, Treasury’s guidance permits recipients to amend existing contracts after the obligation deadline, so long as the amended contract is within substantially the same scope and for substantially the same purpose as the original contract. Per Treasury’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ 17.16), if those requirements are met, SLFRF funds may be used to cover cost increases contained in the amended agreement.
Treasury’s Obligation IFR includes the ability for recipients to reclassify funds when excess funds that were obligated by the deadline but ultimately would not be expended on an eligible activity. For example, recipients may reclassify cost savings from an under-budget project to another eligible project under the SLFRF program rules, including the requirement that the recipient incurred the obligation by December 31, 2024, to expend funds on the activity.
On November 5, 2024, your Board approved Interdepartmental Agreement No. 24-591 between the CAO and PWP, which obligated $23,635,275 in ARPA-SLFRF funds for programs that are responsive to the public health emergency ($8,685,275), and programs that will make necessary improvements to water infrastructure ($14,950,000), effective December 13, 2022, through December 31, 2026. Within the Agreement, your Board approved up to $250,000 for PWP to fund necessary well repairs, irrigation system improvements, landscaping, installation of perimeter fencing, and demolition of the existing restroom at VLC. The department states that the improvements to VLC are complete.
On January 6, 2026, your Board approved the designation and placement of the VLC on the County’s Register of Centennial Places. The VLC encompasses approximately 5 acres and is the final resting place to nearly 4,000 veterans and immediate family members. The cemetery’s main entrance on Belmont Avenue displays an arch with the name of Veterans Liberty Cemetery, which provides location visibility along Belmont Avenue. There is no existing signage displayed along the southern entrance along West Franklin Avenue.
Approval of the recommended action will commit up to $50,000 in funding availability from cost savings recovered within the County’s ARPA-SLFRF Program for PWP to fund the design, build, necessary repairs, and the installation of a VLC sign for the south entrance along West Franklin Avenue. The planned improvements are intended to promote street visibility, increase visitors, and honor the final resting place for our nation’s veterans. The VLC is a green space in Fresno County that is open to the public and increased visibility and improved public access to the VLC will promote physical wellness in the members of the public who visit the VLC.
Upon your Board’s approval of the recommended action, PWP will return to your Board at a later date to request approval to amend Interdepartmental Agreement 24-591, to memorialize your Board’s action today. The recommended revisions to the Interdepartmental Agreement will revise language for the Veterans Liberty Cemetery improvements, vet for program allowability, update program budgets, and memorialize your Board’s action.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #34, January 6, 2026
BAI #33, December 17, 2024
BAI #45, November 5, 2024
BAI # 63, November 5, 2024
BAI #66, December 13, 2022
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Attachment A - Map
CAO ANALYST:
George Uc