County, schools to receive federal funding

Commissioners were notified this week that Sanders County will receive more than $1.6 million for 2017 from the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program.

The U.S. Forest Service released the funds recently, which the county uses in its road budget. With less than two months before the new budget year starts for the county, Commissioner Carol Brooker said the county will use that funding in the 2018-19 fiscal year. Previously, the county had tapped into reserve funds to make up the difference in the road budget.

Sanders County will receive $940,697.56 in SRS funds, and county schools will receive $470,348.78. The remaining $249,008.17 goes back to the Forest Service for projects.

Brooker said that the funding will be used for county paving projects that had to be put on hold when the SRS funding was not available.

The funds are part of more than $17 million in SRS payments received by the state for fiscal year 2017.