The public received a final accounting of the way Schuylkill County spent the $12,765,970 CARES money from the federal government recently.

Mark Morgan, director of Susquehanna Accounting & Consulting Solutions Inc. of Harrisburg, spoke at the end of the commissioners meeting Wednesday. He also held a meeting with the press afterward.

“Schuylkill County did a good job of making sure what you did you were supposed to do with the money,” Morgan said.

The public and members of the business community were vocal critics of how the money was spent. Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess requested numerous times a specific breakdown of the funds, Commissioners approved money for the 911 Center and other expenses out of the CARES funds.

“I know there has been a lot of criticism,” Morgan said of the money mostly used on county expenses.

While he understands the comments, “They blessed all of these expenses as allowable,” Morgan said of the state Department of Community and Economic Development

The state agency reviewed the submitted expenses and gave a final OK in March, Morgan said. The final report was sent to the state Feb. 28.

Until Wednesday, the public had been kept in the dark of how the money was exactly spent. County Administrator Gary Bender said, “I don’t have an answer for you,” when asked why it took so long to provide a final reckoning.

Morgan said the county didn’t want to say anything until the state approved the expenses, even though it learned that in March.

Morgan said Schuylkill used most of the money to benefit the most people, even though some don’t feel that way.

“Everybody was hurting. Everybody needed help,” Morgan said.

He said the pandemic was a “nightmare” for its impact on businesses. Worldwide more than 4 million people died.

Morgan said the danger isn’t over.

“This could resurrect itself. We may have more closures,” he said of the emerging variants.

“If some people are upset, I’m sorry,” Commissioners’ Chairman Barron “Boots” Hetherington said of the experience with the CARES funds.

He said he would “go to my grave believing we did the right thing.”

Morgan said comparing how CARES money was spent in nearby Carbon County isn’t fair. The county received $5.79 million.

“Carbon County is a totally different county than Schuylkill County,” he said.

The following is a tally of the millions.

• Administrative expenses $155,000

• Sheriff’s Office salary and benefits $944,711.91

• Prison/corrections salary and benefits $3,997,056.93

• 911/communications salary and benefits $1,843,032.65

• District attorney’s, county detectives salary and benefits $211,425.77

• Unemployment Insurance payments (50%) $115,730.04

• Administrative leave $120,924.34

• FMLA leave codes 1-3 $27,787.79

• FMLA leave codes 4-6 $30,655.99

• PPE $240,540.30

• County response (This includes actions taken to safeguard those who work and frequent the courthouse and includes such things as reconfiguring offices and installing Plexiglas.) $175,324.40

• Prison HVAC, ventilation and dehumidification $1,176,959

• Public safety project $3,492,824.88. This is the 911 center projects. This amount the county could claim against the CARES Act because it was a taxable portion of the more than $6 million bond it took out, Morgan said.

• Courthouse safety project $233,996. This involved the touchless water fountains and improvements to restrooms.

Total cost: $12,765,970

Additional COVID-19 related expenses:

The grant money distributed to for-profits, nonprofits and municipalities came out of the general fund.

• For profits: $526,299.11

• Nonprofits: $232,887.12

• Municipalities: $373,281.18

• COVID-related project expenses: Public safety project. This is the remaining part of the 911 project that was financed through the bond on a tax exempt basis. $2,567,216.12

• County-level administrative expenses to administer the act: $76,078

Total costs in excess of CARES money: $3,775,761.53