Milton’s town council is seeking to resolve an issue regarding funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act. During a Jan. 28 executive session, the council decided to prepare a Request for Reconsideration to the U.S. Department of the Treasury after the federal body issued a notice of recoupment for the council’s failure to report expenditures.
Phillip Edwards, council president, stated in a Jan. 28 email that the notice was initiated due to a failure to comply with mandatory reporting for 2024 and 2025. According to Edwards, all recipients of ARPA funds are required to file annual reports of how the money is spent. At the time, the council was using a service to assist with this required filing and believed that the reports had been completed. Edwards said the clerk-treasurer is working with that service provider to understand why those reports were not submitted.
WWN previously reported that former town clerk-treasurer, Terry Craig, alleged that several notices had been sent to the council of its noncompliance before a notice of recoupment was received. Edwards said the council did not receive the notices and was unaware of any issues with its ARPA funding reporting.
“The council and clerk-treasurer take citizen complaints seriously and are dedicated to determining the best course of action and finding the root cause of the problem with ARPA reporting and receipt of notices regarding any issues. Regarding how the ARPA funds were spent, we will be forwarding you a copy of the ARPA report separately that details the expenditures. Our intent is to be 100% transparent,” Edwards stated in the email.
Milton town council received a total of $101,000 in ARPA funding, which required reports to be filed in March 2024 and 2025. WWN did not receive a copy of the ARPA report as of press time.
A version of this article appeared in the February 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.