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Out of the $1.9-trillion American Rescue Plan package, $767-million is supposed to be allocated to the State of Oklahoma.

Washington County Commissioner Mitch Antle said estimates show that the County could get $10-million. He said these funds would be handled differently than the CARES Act funding that Washington County currently has on hand.

The Washington County Budget Board collectively decided to hold CARES Act funding while they qualified it on the State level. According to Commissioner Antle, what the State used to qualify the funds was not federally qualified. He said the federal government will change Washington County's reception of the money, so they're federally qualifying the County's projects to protect the monies that they have while ensuring that they're spending the monies correctly.

Commissioner Antle said Washington County is still in the throes of lining up projects for the CARES Act funding that are compliant at the federal level. He said he doesn't fully know what to expect with the American Rescue Plan, but he anticipates quick timelines as it has been in the past.

The intent behind the plan is clear to Commissioner Antle in that CARES funding and the American Rescue Plan funding is designed to enhance our ability as a community to respond to certain scenarios. He said figuring out how the money ought to be spent will be the biggest factor, as he feels there is a bit of a shell game at play.