How should the county spend $1.8 million?

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher 3-24-21
As its share of the new American Rescue Plan funding, Swift County will receive $1,797,084 over the next two years to spend on a wide variety of needs, from its services to the public, to citizen needs, to helping pandemic stressed businesses.
It will receive half the funds, $898,542, within the next 60 days and another $898,542 in 2022.
However, Swift County’s Board of Commissioners may find it harder to decide how to spend this round of COVID-19 pandemic funding.
Last year, Swift County received $1.22 million in federal CARES Act funds. They were used to support public health services, law enforcement, emergency services, offset county COVID-19 expenses, and support businesses. In all, businesses in the county received $302,290 with small businesses receiving at least $5,000 and a maximum of $7,000. These awards went to 45 businesses in the county.
This past January, the county had $256,250 from the State of Minnesota to provide assistance to businesses hurting because of lost sales during the pandemic. It was allowed to use $6,250 of those for administrative expenses.