The Webster County Courthouse, Road and Bridge Department and Emergency Management offices will be closed the following dates for the observance of holidays:

Thursday and Friday, December 23-24, 2021 – Christmas

Friday, December 31, 2021 – New Years

The federal legislation titled the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The broad-ranging spending bill includes financial aid to state and local governments. As a consequence, all of Missouri’s counties and municipalities will receive direct payments to help combat the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The payments are based on population. At this time, the amounts are only estimates – but those preliminary figures are substantial. For instance, the estimated payment for Webster County is $7,678,625. This does not include payments to municipalities, which have their own separate funding in the legislation. Estimates for municipalities located in the county include:

• Diggins – $59,492.61
• Fordland – $155,822.76
• Marshfield – $1,392,827.07
• Niangua – $78,463.94
• Rogersville – $711,516.92
• Seymour – $370,217.19

Other local government organizations, including school districts and health departments, also have separate allocations under the Act.

Northern Commissioner Dale Fraker stated, “We’ve been following the federal legislation closely, and are waiting for additional guidance from federal and state authorities on the authorized uses of the funds.” Presiding Commissioner Paul Ipock agreed, saying “it would not be wise to make any statement or commitment on how the funds will be used, as it may take awhile before we know many details.”

This is the second allotment Webster County has received during the pandemic. The first, known as the “CARES Act”, provided $4.6 million in funds – which was used for a blend of aid to local governments, businesses, and non-profits. However, it should not be assumed that this new program will be at all similar to the first.

The Commission has agreed upon the following set of guiding principles, to prepare for the time when enough information is available to make decisions on the best use of Webster County’s allotted funds:

1. Enhance public safety
2. Encourage people to go back to work
3. Facilitate the continued safe re-opening of the local economy
4. Provide the greatest long-term benefit to the broadest range of county citizens possible

Southern Commissioner Randy Owens said that, of the options known today, the Webster County Commission is leaning toward finding opportunities to make a long-term impact on economic development. “It’s our children and grandchildren who will be paying back the debt for this legislation. Locally, we need to do the best we can to use the portion we’ll receive on things that will last.”