Businesses return CARES Act money mistakingly awarded for payroll

BLOOMFIELD — Two businesses who mistakenly received payroll reimbursement through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act have returned those funds totaling over $11,000 to the county.

Presiding Commissioner Danny Talkington said in a previous meeting that any money received would be used to refund businesses who submitted their paperwork by the Nov. 30 deadline and who have not received any CARES Act funds.

Talkington said if the county gets back all the estimated $23,000 mistakenly paid for payroll, the amount would not be enough to fund the remaining seven businesses on the list.

Originally CARES Act money was not allowed to be used for payroll because of the Paycheck Protection Program handled that. Once the PPP ended, the government said in September that CARES Act funds could be used for payroll reimbursement.

Talkington said the commissioners decided not to reimburse payroll. He had no explanation for why six businesses were reimbursed.

In other news:

• Gary Deardorff and Blair Moran, of the Bloomfield Assistance League, asked Talkington about the county donating land located to the north of the Missouri Veterans Cemetery for future burial sites.

The county purchased the land for the veterans cemetery and donated it to the state in a bid to draw it to Bloomfield. The state only accepted some of the donation, leaving the county with possession of the unused property.

• Six applicants for the vacant emergency management agency director had been received as of Monday’s meeting.

The commissioners look the fill vacancy left by Frank Killian, who resigned the positiionat the end of 2020.

• Associate commissioners Carol Jarrell and Steve Jordan did not attend Monday’s meeting because of family/medical reasons.