Lamont administration notifies municipalities on updates to distribution of COVID-19 relief funds
The Lamont administration has delivered a letter to all municipal chief elected officials in Connecticut notifying them that the state will be increasing the levels of financial aid being sent to towns and cities to supplement their response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The funding comes from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, which utilizes federal funding made available through the CARES Act. These changes will reimburse municipalities for their reported and audited costs, establish a grant program for the municipalities, and assist municipalities by offsetting costs related to COVID-19 testing.
To date, the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) has reimbursed municipalities for all reported claims through June 30, 2020, for a total of approximately $14.5 million from the Connecticut Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund Program. Notably, the actual incurred expenses through June 30 were significantly lower than municipalities originally estimated. The program originally was structured to provide funds on a reimbursement basis after the processing of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) claims. Due to the time delays in FEMA claims processing, and to maximize support to municipalities, OPM will be immediately providing a direct $45.5 million allocation of the program’s funds to support municipalities with their costs for the period between July 1 and December 30, 2020.
In summary, the Connecticut Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund Program funds of $75 million will be distributed as follows:
- Reimbursed claims through June 30, 2020: $14.5 million
- Final allocation with expanded usage: $45.5 million
- Regional testing opportunities for municipal teachers and staff: $15 million
The Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund grants of $45,498,170 will be allotted based on the population formula below. (For a town-by-town allotment, click here.)
- 33 percent population density
- 33 percent population / Adjusted Equalized Net Grand List per capita
- 34 percent population
Testing has been critical to slow the spread of coronavirus and mitigate its threat to public health, particularly for the most at-risk populations and our educational system. Therefore $15 million of the $75 million allocation has been reserved to expand regional testing opportunities for teachers and staff to mitigate this expense for LEA’s and municipalities and provide increased support for safe operations of Connecticut’s schools.
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