The Warren County Commissioners are gearing up to receive just over $3.5 million in federal COVID-19 CARES Act relief funding.

While next Monday’s work session will focus on prioritization of projects and expenses that the funds can address, the commissioners on Wednesday approved a resolution and consulting agreement to lay the ground work for that process.

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin said they met with their auditing firm, Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC, in an informational setting that was not open to the public on June 15. He said that session was “informational only. We did not make any decisions.”

On Wednesday, the commissioners signed off on an agreement with the firm.

“They will be consulting us on CARES Act money and how we distribute it,” Kafferlin said.

County Solicitor Nathaniel Schmidt recommended approval of the contract assuming the total cost doesn’t exceed $10,000 and Kafferlin said the expectation is that the consulting services wouldn’t cost that much anyway.

“Zelenkofske Axelrod are incredibly competent,” Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said. “(I) feel very confident in their ability to assist with this huge undertaking.”

Commissioner Tricia Durbin added that it will be “important to lean on their expertise” as the firm has “navigated through CARES Act funds in other counties.”

The commissioners also signed off on a resolution that affirms the county’s desire to seek the funds.

Kafferlin said the funds have already been awarded – the county turned in an application to the state Department of Community and Economic Development last Wednesday — making the resolution “more or less a formality.”

He said the $3,539,294 was the “maximum we were able to request based on our population.”

MEETING UPDATE

Chief Clerk Pam Matve told the Times Observer that Wednesday would mark the first in-person commissioners meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said that the twice-monthly meetings as well as the weekly work sessions would be in person but that the online, gotomeeting platform would continue to be available “for a while.”