The Pottawatomie County Commission met with department heads Monday to discuss how to spend federal COVID-19 stimulus funds.
Pott. County has so far received about $2.4 million, with another approximately $2.4 million set to arrive in the near future.
Ideas ranged from Justice Center security upgrades and a storm-water detention pond to a drone program, which Sheriff Shane Jager says would be useful for his department and many others.
Other ideas focused more on compensation for new and existing employees.
EMS director Hal Bumgarner says funds could be used to recruit new talent.
Multiple administrators also suggested extra compensation for county staff.
County planner Stephan Metzger says some employees feel they deserve to be paid more for the work they did during the pandemic.
County commissioner Pat Weixelman says that he is grateful for the effort put forth by the county staff, but admits it will be difficult to compensate everyone fairly.
County administrators will continue to discuss over the next few months how to allocate the funds.
However, the funds do not have to be dedicated until 2024.
