Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess said he is against hiring the firm that was chosen to make recommendations on the appropriate use of the $12,765,970 in CARES money for additional work.

“I just cannot do that,” he said after the commissioner meeting last Wednesday.

Wednesday’s agenda had a fee for service contract not to exceed $50,000 to provide “technical consulting” for the county from Jan. 4 through Dec. 31, 2021. Commissioners’ Chairman Barron “Boots” Hetherington said the request would not be acted on at the meeting because “there needs to be some other discussion on that.”

Commissioner George Halcovage Jr. did not attend the meeting.

Hess said he has yet to see an exact accounting of how the funds were spent.

“I want to see how every penny was allocated out of the $12.7 (million),” he said.

He has asked County Administrator Gary Bender, who told him the information will be forthcoming.

“I believe the public needs to see that. That’s public money,” Hess said.

Hess said he didn’t call Mark Morgan, director of Susquehanna Accounting & Consulting Solutions Inc., because it is not his responsibility to do so. Hess said he doesn’t know where the finalized numbers will come from, although he believes Bender, the county finance office, Susquehanna Consulting and Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC, the firm hired to provide technical assistance for policies and procedures, all have a role in giving the information.

A full list of applicants who received the $1,098,112 was provided previously. In all, 22 municipalities, 24 nonprofits and 30 small businesses received money. The county kept the majority of the money for expenses associated with the pandemic, officials said.

Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts Maria Casey in December called for an audit of CARES funds received from the federal government. Casey said the awarding of the funds was improper.

Commissioners, Finance Director Paul Buber and Morgan said previously those who applied for and met criteria were funded.