Back in the day, when your folks dropped you off at the mall and gave you a little money for the arcade, you probably didn't come home and hand them a five-dollar bill that you didn't spend. Not when Donkey Kong was still toting off ladies that needed saving. Similarly, in government, if funding is allocated your way, if you can't bank it, find a way to spend it. Responsibly. Of course. AL.com's John Sharp reports that Alabama legislators still need to make sure they're able to spend all their American Rescue Plan Act funding. There's a December 2026 deadline on using that money. The state has allocated more than $900 million toward water, sewer and broadband projects, and that much government-led progress doesn't happen overnight. Out of a few hundred water and sewer projects, only 79 have signed agreements to move forward, and that doesn't mean they've started the actual work. Some lawmakers are starting to push for re-allocating money toward projects that are ready to roll, and the Department of Environmental Management is assessing the projects partly based on whether they'll be able to make deadline. And Bobby Singleton, a Greensboro Democrat, told the oversight committee that some small cities are concerned about getting stuck with debt they might incur to pay for finishing the work. ADEM External Affairs chief Lynn Battle has said funding will be prioritized on “a needs basis where it is unlikely the project would be implemented without state-funded assistance.” She said ADEM -- that's the Alabama Department of Environmental Management -- has procedures that will keep money from going back to Washington. | 