Schuylkill County has received about $13 million from its share of American Rescue Recovery money.

The funds are sitting in a designated account but have not been allotted yet because treasury rules are not finalized. The county will receive $27,415,708. President Joe Biden signed the legislation March 11. The county will receive the second installment in 2022.

Palo Alto resident Jeff Dunkel, on Wednesday at the commissioners meeting, questioned how the county will select who gets the money.

Commissioner Gary Hess said he hopes that input from the public and commissioners will occur.

“I hope that we make it a little more open,” he said of the process for awarding money.

Hess and members of the public and Clerk of Courts Maria Casey criticized commissioners in the apparent lack of transparency in the CARES Act administration. A review by the state Department of Community and Economic Development indicated the funds were spent appropriately.

“We’re getting calls on requests and we are going to try our best to get it back out to the community where it is needed,” Hess said.

An agenda item not acted on Wednesday showed a potential fee for service contract with Susquehanna Accounting & Consulting Solutions Inc. Harrisburg, for “the primary purpose to provide technical consulting to the county” for the American Rescue Plan. Cost is not to exceed $275 an hour and will be paid through money from the plan. The firm also was hired for the CARES Act distributions previously.