Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Worth County Businesses Eligible for CARES Act Funds

The Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments (Regional Council) is administering the CARES Act funds received by Worth County and is now accepting applications for CARES Act fund reimbursement requests.

Small businesses and non-profits located within Worth County are eligible to apply. Application requests for reimbursement must be based on eligible expenses or costs already incurred during the period of March 1 through June 30, 2020 and must satisfy the requirements of the CARES Act and Treasury guidance. Applicants will be required to submit sufficient supporting documentation such as invoices, receipts, and proof of payment.

The program funds will be allocated to eligible and qualified small businesses and non-profits based on availability.

Applications and supporting documentation are required for review and approval. All grants will be processed on a first-come, first-review basis to qualified applicants. Please note that applications for funds are considered public information.

To be eligible, businesses must meet the following requirements:
• Must be a for-profit, independently owned business or independently operated franchise, or non-profit organization geographically located within the borders of Worth County, MO.

• Must possess a current city, county, and state license or permit to operate, as applicable.

• Must provide proof of a business hardship created by COVID-19 (i.e. employee layoffs, purchase of added safety items, added expenses due to COVID-19, etc.).

• Must use funds for operational needs, such as employee expenses, lease/mortgage payments, utilities, materials, supplies and services.

• Must be in compliance with local, state, and federal non-discrimination policy, and overall good standing with city and county service providers as of February 1, 2020 (e.g., current on utility bills, no liens or judgments, and prior year(s) property taxes, state and federal taxes).

• Must be a business with 30 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) or fewer employees.

Local governments and political subdivisions located within Worth County are eligible to apply for both reimbursement requests and future COVID-19 response needs. Application requests for reimbursements must be based on eligible expenses or costs already incurred during the period of March 1 through June 30, 2020. Applications for future COVID-19 response needs can be based on expenses or costs not yet incurred but needed to respond to the pandemic. 

Both application requests must satisfy the requirements of the CARES Act and Treasury guidance. Applicants will be required to submit sufficient supporting documentation such as invoices, receipts, and proof of payment.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, July 31, 2020. The Regional Council will review the applications for completeness (including supporting documentation), compliance with the CARES Act requirements and Treasury guidance, with final award decisions made by the Worth County Commission. Award recipients will be required to enter into a written agreement with the County prior to disbursement of awarded funds.

The application is available from the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments and can be downloaded from their website, www.nwmorcog.org. Questions regarding the application process may be directed to Amy Dowis, Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, 660-582-5121, ext. 3 or amy@nwmorcog.org.

Over the course of the past few weeks, Worth County has reviewed the requirements of the CARES Act and the guidance issued by the Department of Treasury and has been working with the Regional Council to identify community priorities and develop an application process to allow applicants to request CARES Act funds and make award decisions for the use of funds.

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