Cape County commissioners approve coronavirus-related payments

The Cape Girardeau County Commission approved reimbursement payments Monday to several county school systems and the Riverside Regional Library for expenses they’ve incurred as of the end of June related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reimbursements are the first of what the commissioners believe will be many similar payments in the coming months due to coronavirus-related expenses.

In addition to their unanimous approval of the reimbursements, the commissioners also discussed several estimated coronavirus-related expenses in the near future they expect will total more than $1.5 million.

The county expects to pay for COVID-19 costs out of the $9,253,142 allocated to the county through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Under the CARES Act, the county is authorized to reimburse schools, county agencies, health care providers and other entities for expenses they incur due to the coronavirus outbreak, such as the purchase of personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, COVID-19 testing and so forth.

As of Monday, the county had received receipts for coronavirus expenses incurred between March 27 and June 30 from Immaculate Conception School in Jackson in the amount of $6,300, from Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau for $1,632.63, from the Jackson School District for $50,200.57 and from Riverside Regional Library for $2,103.

First District Commissioner Paul Koeper said several other reimbursement requests will likely be forthcoming for COVID-19 expenses incurred after June 30. Based on estimates he has received so far, those expenses include $90,737.93 to Immaculate Conception School for the 2020-2021 school year; $99,109.52 for Lynwood Christian Academy in Cape Girardeau; $20,638.05 for St. Mary Cathedral School in Cape Girardeau; $59,859.36 for Prodigy Leadership Academy in Cape Girardeau; $101,025 for the Delta School District; $54,494.42 for St. Vincent de Paul School in Cape Girardeau; and $100,089.02 for Notre Dame Regional High School for the coming school year.

“These are the proposed requests that appear to have all the documents in order,” Koeper said. “They (the various organizations) have not made purchases, but have given us estimates, most of them by way of quotes.”

In addition to the estimated expenses submitted so far to the County Commission, Koeper said the county will likely allocate $100,000 each to the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office/Jail and the county’s Emergency Management Services office for expenses related to the coronavirus.

All of that is on top of approximately $525,000 the county has earmarked for COVID-19 antibody testing through the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center and $200,000 for the recent purchase of “hands-free” cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) equipment for use by first-responders in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and elsewhere in the county.

In other business Monday, the commissions approved the reappointment of Tom Gross and JoAnn Hahs to four-year terms on the Riverside Regional Library Board of Directors. Their terms will expire June 30, 2024.

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