Another $38,000-plus in CARES Act funding has been approved for County Coroner-elect Jeff Arnold to outfit a new truck that was previously approved to be purchased with funds originally designed to reimburse local government agencies for fighting the coronavirus.

In a 2-1 vote, the Gasconade County Commission meeting Thursday in Owensville signed off on using $38,449 to purchase such items as personal protective equipment, a ramp to load cots, a backboard and other items to equip a $31,000 vehicle that was approved in recent weeks. “Everything to complete the truck,” Arnold told the county government administrators.

Further, the Commission approved funds that will be used to pay for office equipment and improvements made to the basement of Arnold’s home, which will be used as the new coroner’s office.

Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, and Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, voted to approve the funds to outfit the coroner’s vehicle. Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, voted against approving the funds.

This funding request was one of several CARES Act applications the Commission acted on at its Thursday morning session. County administrators also approved $22,824 sought by the Morrison Fire Department, which was seeking to recover revenue lost because of canceled dinners and fundraising events.

Also approved was a request for $9,617 from the Swiss Evangelical Reform Church and $12,461 requested by the Gasconade County Health Department.

An application by the Owensville Police Department for $43,000 for a new vehicle was withdrawn after the local law enforcement agency opted to obtain a different vehicle.

According to County Treasurer Mike Feagan, there are several other applications for CARES Act money pending as the program enters its final weeks.

The federal government has set a Dec. 30 deadline for counties to allocate their share of the CARES Act funding. Gasconade County received $1.725 million as its portion for reimbursing local government agencies that spent their money on coronavirus-related measures, such as protective equipment and disinfectants, as well as additional personnel needed because of the virus. Of that $1.725 million, the Commission set aside $700,000 for businesses seeking to recover revenue lost because of the virus.

The dispersal of the CARES Act money has been administered by the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), which receives the applications and investigates the legitimacy of the requests. The planning agency then makes a recommendation to the County Commission, which has final say over allocation of the funds.

After recently announcing it had stopped receiving applications for funding because there were more applications than money available, the planning agency reversed itself. According to county officials, the earlier decision to stop receiving applications was made because MRPC personnel were unaware that some of the requests recommended for approval were placed on hold by the Commission — such as $150,000 recommended for allocation to Missouri Thistle of Owensville, which had earlier been approved for a $50,000 allocation — which meant that amount of  money actually is available to meet other requests.

Thursday is the final day MRPC will receive applications for CARES Act funding, a date that allows it enough time to check the legitimacy of the requests and make a recommendation for the Commission to act in order to meet the federal government's Dec. 30 deadline. Any CARES Act money not used is to be returned to the federal treasury.

The county also is awaiting further information from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding coronavirus-related funding that it will be passing down to counties. This money is expected to be used much like the CARES Act money; however, it will not have a use-it-or-lose-it deadline attached.

And, laptop computers acquired by the sheriff’s department with CARES Act funds were being installed in cars this week.