HERMANN — The Gasconade County Commission is claiming all of the $2.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocated to the county as revenue loss reimbursement, following the same decisions made by the other seven counties within the Meramec Region.

That means the money can be used for any government service.

However, the Commission agreed to honor the dozen or so applications that are pending. Those requests filed with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) amount to about $350,000.

MRPC is acting as the administrator of the money for the counties.

At Thursday morning’s regular Commission session, county officials said claiming all of the money is little more than an accounting move. County Treasurer Mike Feagan explained that the latest and final guidance from the federal government on the use of the money will kick in for the county now that the full amount will be claimed as revenue loss reimbursement.

The irony in claiming the money is that Gasconade County lost little — if any — revenue to the coronavirus since it struck in March of 2019. Indeed, in 2020 Gasconade County received a record-setting amount of General Revenue Fund sales tax and received even more General Revenue Fund sales tax in 2021. Still, the final rules allow counties to claim for themselves up to $10 million as revenue loss coverage and not have to document any revenue loss. The money can be used on any governmental services.

Under the county administrators’ initial plan for using ARPA funds, grants would be made available out of the first $1.4-million allotment to small businesses with infrastructure projects. That money arrived last May. The next installment of $1.4 million is scheduled to arrive in May. Out of this round of money, the Commission planned to take requests from larger businesses and other organizations.

March 31 is the deadline for small businesses to apply for up to $50,000 of ARPA money out of the first installment. According to MRPC, the dozen or so requests would amount to about $300,000.

At the outset, the county set aside $350,00 of ARPA dollars for county government projects, although those projects were not yet identified.

In other matters at last week’s session, County Clerk Lesa Lietzow noted that the effort to replace the aging telephone system used by county government departments is moving forward. She said a meeting is set in April with a representative of Tech Electronics, the company chosen to provide the new system.

Further, she said, a new security system for the courthouse is getting closer to fruition. “That’s moving forward, too,” Lietzow said, adding that Ameren UE has given the county $2,500 to help cover the cost of the new system.

At tomorrow’s session, county administrators are scheduled to meet with personnel from U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state Department of Economic Development and Public Water Supply District Number 1, which serves the Peaceful Valley subdivision, to discuss details of the $750,000 grant awarded to the water district for an upgrade of its system.

PWSD applied for the grant through Gasconade County, which means it was the County Commission actually making the application. Approval of the grant means the county’s operating budget will have to be amended to reflect the funding, even though it has nothing to do with county services, Lietzow noted.