Monday, June 21, 2021

Law and Order in the Ozarks (Part CXXXI)/Coronavirus in rural America (Part CXXXIX) : More on federal-local relations in relation to $1.5 million in COVID Relief funds

The headline for the May 12, 2021 story in the Newton County Times is "Quorum Court prepares for 'rescue' funds."  Like this prior post, it's a take of how the federal and the local interact in a rural county.  Here's the story: 
The Newton County Quorum Court passed an ordinance Monday night, May 3, establishing a special revenue fund to be called the American Rescue Plan fund. The county will soon receive a projected $1.5 million in federal funds. However, a plan for how the money can be spent won't be revealed until after the money is received.

The $1.9 trillion authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act will provide Arkansas with $1.7 billion in state fiscal relief in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Guidance and rules on how the money can be used are being drafted by the US Department of the Treasury.

Before receiving the money the county is required to establish a fund on the books to track the revenues, expenditures and/or appropriated transfers of the federal assistance.

County Judge Warren Campbell told the JPs he does not know when the money will be released or what restrictions will be placed on it.

From there, the story gets really confusing: 

The ordinance states that deposit of federal assistance funds from the American Rescue Plan Act are imminent calling for the ordinance to be passed with an emergency clause.

The reporter does not explain what "ordinance" it's referring to but then reports on an ordinance that will transfer $25K a month from the county's "COVID Relief Fund" into the sheriff's budget. It states: 

The quorum court passed an ordinance amending the sheriff's budget. That ordinance calls for transferring $25,000 from the county's current COVID Relief Fund into the sheriff's budget. That amount will be transferred each month beginning in May and continuing through December at which time the funds will be deleted. This will be done by a monthly court order.

I'm wondering if the county's COVID Relief Fund is the fund into which the federal $1.5 million will be deposited.  And if so, why would those monies be flowing into the sheriff's budget.  What will the sheriff do with COVID relief funds?  Not suggesting anything untoward, but an explanation would be helpful.  

Then there is this added information about the sheriff's budget, which thankfully does make sense: 

The sheriff's office was also appropriated $32,562.32. This money was received under federal Title III as payment for emergency services provided on federal property located within the county.

Here's a prior post about the county's failure to segregate funds, to keep earmarked dollars out of the general fund.  

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