Tattoo removal business owned by county auditor to get $44,000
More Platte County CARES small business grant applications were approved by the Platte County Commission at a meeting on Monday morning, including one to a business owned by the county auditor.
There were 19 applications totaling $438,132.82 receiving county commission approval that day. Grants and the amount of each approved Monday include:
*Catherine’s School of Performing Arts doing business as Catherine’s Dance Studio, $16,711.
*Shelby Transportation LLC, DBA Weston Stagecoach, $5,400.
*Perry Bonding Company, Inc., $3,700.
*Sheri Lee DBA Lee’s Kinder Academy, $40,000.
*A Turning Point, $20,000.
*Smart Beginnings Early Center, $21,150.
*Club North & KC Premiere Volleyball, $20,000.
*The Farmer’s House Inc., $50,000.
*Stone Canyon Pizza Inc., DBA Stone Canyon Pizza, $35,000.
*College Nannies & Tutors, $15,633.
*Hatchery Hospitality LLC, DBA The Hatchery House Bed & Breakfast, $5,064.32.
*Woulfe Music LLC, DBA Woulfe Music or Weymouth Street Music Club, $7,830.39.
*Pargon Real Estate of KC, LLC, DBA Weichert, Realtors Advantage Professionals, $49,437.11.
*Phonetic Foundations, $1,000.
*Cathy’s Custom Parties LLC, Cathy’s Custom Parties and Ponies, $11,936.
*Lazer Skincare Center, LLC, DBA Undo Skincare Center, $44,386.
Undo Skincare performs tattoo removal and other procedures. Kevin Robinson, who serves as Platte County auditor, is an owner of Undo Skincare Center and is listed as a laser technician there. He announced during Monday’s meeting he will recuse himself when his staff members in the county auditor’s office review receipts and information before grant payment is made. He said his staff members in his office are performing reviews on any applications in which he has a conflict of interest.
*J H & S, Inc. DBA Platte Woods Laundry, $10,000.
*Martinez Immigration Law LLC, $78,155.
*Parkville Tumbling and Acro with Ray, DBA Parkville Tumbling and Acro, $2,730.
Previous grant awards have included $226,000 to a cruise company: https://plattecountylandmark.com/2020/07/24/county-commission-gives-226000-to-cruise-holidays/
Ron Schieber, presiding county commissioner, said a total of 283 applications have been received with a total of about $17 million in requests.
Matthew Webster of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc., who has been hired to assist a three member advisory committee with reviewing applications, said that after county commission approval is given to grants, “we create a file of receipts and other supporting information that is sent to the county auditor for review. It is only after the auditor reviews the file that a check can be sent to an applicant.”
Webster said the process needs to be able “to survive an audit review by the government.” He said eligible uses for grant funds include things like “payroll and generally accepted overhead expenses.”
Webster said “it is made very clear to the applicants that they need to cooperate and provide information. That’s the part that comes after your action,” he said to the commissioners.
Schieber, presiding commissioner, said the grant program “is a very fluid process. As we move forward we are continuing to tweak it and make changes.”
No tweaks or changes were publicly announced at Monday’s meeting.
The county commission has control of $12.2 million in federal CARES Act dollars that were passed on to the county through the state treasurer’s office, with distribution based on population. The state treasurer early in the process asked the county to pass $6 million on to the City of Kansas City, since about half of Platte County’s population is made up of residents who live within the city limits of Kansas City. The county commission to this point has not passed any of the $12.2 million on to Kansas City or to any other public entity, such as the Platte County Health Department.
The health department said this week that free COVID testing in Platte County could come to an end as soon as Aug 15 unless the department is able to get some of the CARES Act money currently in the hands of the county commission.
https://plattecountylandmark.com/2020/07/24/county-commission-gives-226000-to-cruise-holidays/
https://plattecountylandmark.com/2020/07/23/list-of-businesses-applying-for-county-grant-money/
https://plattecountylandmark.com/2020/07/31/this-doesnt-pass-the-smell-test/
https://plattecountylandmark.com/2020/08/06/fond-farewells-and-bad-optics/