Clark County expecting first CARES Act reimbursement

Clark County could soon receive its first reimbursement for CARES Act funding.

The county has been scheduled to receive $26,867,500 in the federal aid approved by Congress in late March. The state is tasked with dispersing the money to local governments based on reimbursement requests.

“The main issue is cash flow,” Mark Gassaway, the county’s finance director, wrote in an email. “So far that has not been a problem, but it could be, especially for smaller jurisdictions.”

The county recently submitted its first reimbursement request of $1.3 million and has been told to expect payment any day, Gassaway said. While the request covers March and April, the county can later add to its request for those months once it provides proper documentation.

COVID-19-related expenses from March 1 through Dec. 30 are reimbursable. But the state has imposed a deadline of Oct. 31 for local governments to develop a plan on how to use the money.

The county has a plan in place, but local officials have been concerned about funding issues that may arise after the deadline.

County officials have been in contact with the state about the deadline, but Gassaway said he has not yet heard about a potential extension.

The county has also received CARES Act funding for specific departments and programs, including the county Public Health Department and for homelessness, in the form of grants.