LFC Comments by Brian Massie, Concord Township resident
We sent a records request to Mr. Andrew Rose, Concord Township’s Administrator, and asked for the summary of the expenditures from the CARES Act funding received from the State of Ohio.
Ms. Amy Dawson sent us the details for the expenditures, and we have summarized them by department. We appreciate Amy’s prompt help in getting the expenditures into the proper department.
From the Department of Treasury’s website we found the following rules for the CARES Act expenditures.
The CARES Act requires that the payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund only be used to cover expenses that—
1. are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19);
2. were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government; and
3. were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 31, 2021.
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From the State of Ohio’s website, we found additional information on the use of the funds:
“While the CRF distributions are not required to be the funding of last resort, the expenditures cannot be used in multiple programs or be reimbursed by other funds. Expenditures necessary to take direct action in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency are allowable. The item, allotment, or allocation within that budget (recently approved as of March 27, 2020) OR (b) the cost is for a substantially different use from any expected use of funds in such a line item,”
“Expenditures are required to be related to current COVID-19 needs
and not in preparation of or stock piling for future emergencies.”
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LFC Comments:
- We will leave it up to the Concord Township’s residents to determine if the expenditures reported meet the criteria mandated by the U.S. Treasury Department or the State of Ohio.
- If $375,195.55 of the funding was used to pay the normal 3rd and 4th quarter Sheriff’s Contract expenses, there should be excess funds in the Safety Levy account. Will those funds be returned to the taxpayers, or will they used to cover the costs of the new fire stations?
- The $3,000.00 paid to the Affirmatively Fair Housing of Painesville was done at the request of the Lake County Commissioner’s office.
- Although Riverside School District did inquire about the possibility of a Sub-Grant from Concord Township ‘s CARES Act funding, none was provided since they had spent all of their funds.
- Riverside School District did get $212,274.28 in CARES Act in initial funding, $436,741.56 from ESSER funds [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief], and $14, 810.00 from the Broadband Ohio Connectivity Grant. They are all part of the CARES Act funding.)
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Categories: Concord, Lake, Lake County Cities & Townships, Local News, Uncategorized