Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Months after the dispersal of the monies from the CARES-Act to mitigate the adverse economic effects of the pandemic, county officials are still making reimbursements and setting the record straight on the money’s expenditure.
The most recent change was a nearly $2,000 reimbursement to Property Appraiser Angela Gray for expenditures her office made to purchase items related to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic during its peak last year.
In her presentation to the commission explaining the reimbursement request, Gray noted the county had received a total of $2,658,740 in CARES Act funding in Phase 1, of which $664,000 had been distributed to the various local agencies that provided public safety and public health services.
Gray further noted that her office had expended $1,997.84 for the purchase of COVID-19 related items that had not been part of the original allocation. The items purchased, she said, had been for use in her office, as well as for distribution to other local agencies, such as the temporary Jefferson County CARES office and the Monticello Police Department.
These items, she said, had included facemasks, phone system programming (for the Jefferson County Cares office), cleaning and signage supplies, and other things that the pandemic necessitated.
The purchases, Gray said, were justified, as they were consistent with the federal requirements for the funds dispersal, given that they were all related to equipment, labor, material and supplies made necessary and related to COVID-19
“Since these amounts were not on the original Board of County Commissioners approved Phase 1 spending list, it is good practice to ensure that this spending authority of the CARES Act funds be granted by the board and placed into the public record,” Gray wrote in her request.
She noted the availability of amount requested in the “unmet needs” category of the CARES-Act funding, noting that $229,554 had been earmarked for this category and $56,875.17 expended so far, leaving a balance of $172,678.83 after reimbursements to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Operations Center.
The board approved Gray’s request without discussion.