The representative of the accounting firm Schuylkill County government hired back in 2020 to manage its spending of federal COVID aid couldn’t provide an answer last week on how much of that money remains.
Mark Morgan, with Susquehanna Accounting and Consulting Solutions Inc., of Harrisburg, presented Schuylkill County Commissioners with a second-quarter 2024 recap of its spending of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds during last week’s Work Session meeting.
He failed to bring with him, however, any information on where the rest of the money has gone and how much of it remains.
Presenting the Bare Minimum RE: ARPA Funds is the Norm
The County has received about $27.5 million in ARPA funds and time is running out to earmark that money for various projects or purposes.
Morgan’s firm helps the County determine what it can and can not use ARPA funds to purchase. The company also has been tracking that money since it was first received. And before that, Susquehanna Accounting and Consulting Solutions Inc., did the same with Schuylkill County’s CARES Act funding.
On Thursday, Morgan told Commissioners that ARPA money in the last quarter was used for the following:
- 9-1-1 Hegins Tower Project: $911,800.41
- Negative Economic Impact Subgrant to Schuylkill County Municipal Authority for a water project: $500,000.00
That totals $1.411 million in the last 3 months.
Morgan’s presentation lasted an entire 50 seconds. Prior to speaking, he handed the Commissioners and County’s Chief Clerk a copy of his report.
Once again, the news media was not provided a copy of that one-page report.
Later, during the County’s Salary Board meeting on Thursday, Morgan was questioned on how much of the ARPA money remains.
He didn’t have that figure handy. And this isn’t the first time this has happened.
At the beginning of this year, The Canary pressed the County to hand over a detailed accounting report of how ARPA money was spent here. Commissioner Larry Padora, in late January, had to tell Morgan to present an itemized report on the County’s ARPA spending.
It took a while but it was finally received.
But that was the last time anyone ever got that complete of a report on ARPA funds.
At last week’s Salary Board meeting, Morgan responded to a question on how much of that money is left by saying, “I do not have it here. I have a balance but I do not have it here.”
He then answered a question no one asked by saying, “All the projects that were awarded under ARPA have been funded. The remaining balance … whatever is left … will be reported this quarter or the fourth quarter under ‘lost revenue’.”
“Lost revenue” is a catch-all category of permitted spending of ARPA funds that the County has used the last several years to plug budget shortfalls.
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