County makes coronavirus relief funds priority list

The Weston County Commission has created a priority list for using American Rescue Plan Act funds that includes several items that will benefit the entire county. 
The commissioners have also stated that the county will address employee wages and/or bonuses during budget discussions instead of utilizing the federal funds for direct employee benefit. 
As previously reported, the spending of the funds allocated to Weston County, in the amount of $1.2 million, was first discussed when several elected officials asked  the commissioners to consider bonuses for county employees. 
“I think raises at a county level definitely need to be addressed, but it shouldn’t be addressed with a one-time shot of funds,” commissioner Nathan Todd said during the March 15 meeting. “Under the budget, we can get that straightened out.” 
Throughout the first three months of this year, the county has discussed how to best spend the funds, engaging various county entities and department heads, and the commissioners have now determined what they believe are the most important expenditures to address with the funds. 
“I think we finally got a list, and prior to June we need to really look this thing over and look where the money needs to go,” Todd said on Feb. 15. He noted that repair issues continue to be the main item he has seen across all of the departments and entities. 
In addition to setting aside funds for a county dispatch center, if negotiations with the city of Newcastle fall through, the county plans to address several repair issues. 
“The No.  1 priority would be getting the repeaters up and running,” said commissioner Tony Barton.
The repeaters, according to Gilbert Nelson, Weston County emergency management coordinator, are radio repeaters located in several different places in Weston County. These repeaters allow emergency responders and other entities to stay in contact when responding to issues throughout the county. 
Following the repeaters, the county plans to address damages to the roof at the Newcastle branch of the Weston County Library, as well as window and door upgrades for the Upton branch. Other issues the county plans to address include repairs to the parking lot at the courthouse, curb and gutter repairs, upgrades to the outside of the courthouse and chain-link fence issues at the Road and Bridge shop. 
The county expects to receive the federal money, about $672,000,  in June, in the amount of roughly $672,000. The first half of the $1.2 million coronavirus relief package funds has already been received by the county.