Agenda - 10-06-20; 8-a - Minutes

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26 1 19 related expenditures for which reimbursement is expected through the Federal Emergency 2 Management Agency (FEMA). 3 4 CARES Act Funds Allocated by the County 5 The County received two funding allocations through the Corona Virus Aid, Relief, and 6 Economic Security Act or CARES Act. CARES Act funds were distributed to counties based on 7 population. CARES Act funding must be used to fund expenses directly related to the County's 8 response to the pandemic. These funds cannot be used to supplant currently budgeted 9 expenses or to replace revenues such as sales tax or occupancy tax that have suffered as a 10 result of the pandemic. The CARES Act funds must be used by December 31, 2020, or they will 11 be reverted to the State. 12 Orange County's allocation in each round of funding was $2,665,753 and $2,881,614 for 13 a total of$5,547,367. Of that total amount, the County retained $3.2 million while $2.3 million 14 was distributed to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Mebane based on a per capita 15 allocation. 16 For the first round of funding, the Towns submitted requests for the use of funds to the 17 County. In general, approximately $400,000 was used for emergency housing assistance, 18 $600,000 was allocated to personal protective equipment, $500,000 was allocated to personnel 19 expenses, and the remaining amount for technology to support remote working and economic 20 support to local businesses. For the second round of funding, municipalities are required to 21 report their use of funds to the County by the end of August. 22 23 Approximately $1.4 million or 42% of the County's total CARES Act allocation is dedicated to 24 support housing needs and prevent evictions and foreclosures. 25 • Another $1.2 million or 36% is being used to protect employees and facilitate remote work. 26 • The remaining funds are allocated to other services directly impacted by the pandemic 27 including: o Assisting residents who must navigate the Courthouse under new safety 28 protocols and access community services differently, 29 • Acquiring and distributing food, including locally raised dairy and produce products, 30 • Supporting childcare and reemployment services, 31 • Reimbursing the County for employee leave time taken by employees who are required to 32 isolate or quarantine, 33 • Reimagining and producing tourism and marketing materials in response to changing travel 34 restrictions and preferences, 35 • Supplementing the revaluation effort that was delayed during stay at home orders, and 36 • Funding consulting services to plan for the County's long term recovery and resiliency. 37 38 COVID-19 Related Funds Awarded to Specific Programs 39 In addition to the CARES Act funding directed to the County for local distribution decisions, 40 other CARES Act or Corona Virus related funding has been directed to specific County 41 functions: 42 • The Department on Aging received an additional $200,000 from the Area Agency on Aging 43 for food distribution programs. 44 • The Board of Elections received $153,766 to prepare for and respond to impact of COVID- 45 19 on the 2020 election cycle. These efforts include cleaning and sanitizing polling places 46 and supporting an anticipated increase in mail-in ballots. 47 • The Partnership to End Homelessness was awarded a COVID-19 Emergency Solutions 48 Grant to hire a 1.0 FTE Rapid Rehousing Case Manager to expedite permanent housing 49 solutions for residents who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. The grant 50 runs through June 30, 2022.