to the residents to help with their utility bills. We used the money to help nonprofit organizations do expansions, and it’s been a blessing.” The county courthouse also received upgrades, and a state of the art Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was built, creating space for training seminars, and streamlining operations. “That OEM office has become a model for other agencies,” Breeden outlines. “It’s not just Henry County. We have two other counties that have merged with us to be able to use our OEM services.” “We’re going to connect our farmers. We’re going to connect our grain bins. We’re going to connect all the western sides of Henry County. And we’re extremely excited about that,” touts Kelly.“And we’re not done. We’re going to continue. We’re going to find even more areas to get the deep rural connectivity where these farmers need it.” The use of COVID funding extended beyond broadband. Breeden recounts,“Henry County became a model for many counties on how to use this money. We were so diligent in looking at all possibilities. It wasn’t just broadband, but we returned money back 158 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 01
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