ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced a transparency portal for the county’s spending on the response to COVID-19 is now active.
The public can look at where the county’s money is going.
As of April 23 at 12:30 p.m., the county has spent $368,366 and has committed $5,956,126.
The expenses range from N95 masks, medical supplies for hospitals to portable toilets for the parks and recreation department.
According to the portal, 62.2% of the money has gone to police for items such as medical screenings, PPE reimbursements, emergency hotel rooms and more.
A message at the top of the portal reads:
“Please note that spending commitments can change frequently. Examples include orders that are cancelled, changes to quantity and pricing, ect.”
Page said that the county was expected to receive the nearly $174 million from the CARES Act on April 24.
According to a press release from the county, it received $173,481,105.80 on Wednesday from the federal government to be used exclusively to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The County Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to allow the money to be spent.
“Saving lives is my number one priority, and that means purchasing tests, tests and more tests,” Page said. “We have to do everything we can to keep people healthy, open our businesses and get back to work.”
Expenditures of the funds will be overseen by the U.S. Department of Treasury and a special Inspector General.
“We must follow the federal rules we were given,” County Executive Page said. “Otherwise, we would have to reimburse the federal government for any expenses that did not fit those guidelines.”
Page will hold his next COVID-19 briefing on April 24 at 8:30 a.m.
The City of St. Louis also launched a transparency portal on Wednesday. According to the information posted on the portal, the city spent a total of $2,285,513.75 through April 12 on expenses, which include COVID-19 test kits, safety glasses, gloves and masks.
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