County submits plan for SPARK funds

A collaborative effort to distribute more than $1.7 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to taxing entities, non-profits and businesses in Cloud County, to aid in offsetting the costs and loss of revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is nearing completion.
Emergency Preparedness/Safety director James Quillen reported to the Cloud County board of trustees on Monday that the county has submitted its reimbursement report and direct aid plan to the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) taskforce and Office of Recovery for approval last Friday.
The Office of Recovery informed county officials that it could expect to hear back by September 15 with approval for funding requests or recommendations.
Cloud County received $1,748,586 in CARES Act funds through SPARK to be used to develop strategies to mitigate and help counties recover financially from expenses incurred as a result of the pandemic.
A committee was established, that included representatives from all of the municipalities and school districts in the county, CloudCorp and Cloud County Community College, to provide guidance in the distribution of the funds.
The process began late in July, with the committee spending about 100 hours just in the reimbursement phase reviewing receipts and invoices for reimbursement requests and discussing recommendations for funding.
“I think we have done a great job of being good as steward for the $1.7 million because we have made sure those entities have receipts and invoices that matched those receipts, and have vetted the entire process about as well as any place could,” Quillen said.
Quillen said that he has heard of some counties leaving the smaller entities out of the process.
“I think we did a really good job of including every entity, all of the school districts, all of the little towns around, so they had an opportunity to get reimbursed or to create a plan to help mitigate COVID,” Quillen said. “I think that is one of the things I was most proud of about the committee, they included everybody and worked hard to get everybody involved.”
Entities submitted reimbursement requests totaling $381,798.63, including the cities of Concordia, Aurora, Clyde, Glasco, Jamestown and Miltonvale, the county, all of the school districts in the county and the college.
The direct aid plan submitted to the Office of Recovery requested distributing $1,366,787.37 to be used to prepare for any possible increase in COVID-19 cases in the future.
More than $300,000 will be set aside from that direct aid plan for grants to small businesses and non-profits
There will be $259,750 going to small businesses to help offset lost revenue because of the pandemic, any mitigation efforts related to COVID-19, such as installing plexiglass barriers, and any future safety efforts.
Those grants will be capped at $10,000 per business.
The county is also offering $52,750 to non-profit organizations.
Quillen said that the non-profits can also submit requests for part of the $259,750.
CloudCorp will develop the application for the grants.
The applications will be reviewed by a committee.
Applications will begin being accepted for the grants once the county is notified that the plan has been approved by the Office of Recovery, which will be no later than September 15.
Quillen said that one of the barriers that small businesses saw with other grant programs is the requirement that a certain percentage of the employees be in the low to moderate income level.
“We are going to eliminate that if it is not a requirement by the state. We want to have a two page application, if you are going to ask for lost revenue, what was it last year? What was it this year? So that it is an easy process and you are not encumbered with 250 pages of paperwork,” Quillen said.