Local units are applying for $$

The coronavirus pandemic has been costly.

That’s true not only for businesses that were forced to close, but also for local units of government that have accrued additional costs for supplies or to pay employees.

Now Jay County and its cities and towns are hoping to get at least some of what has been spent reimbursed through the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund.

The CARES Act included the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, some of which went directly to local units over governments with populations of 500,000 or more and some to states to be disbursed to smaller counties, cities and towns.

Indiana last month released amounts for which local communities are eligible for reimbursement — based on census population figures. They are as follows: Jay County – $673,662; Portland – $197,420; Dunkirk – $74,263; Redkey – $42,274; Pennville – $22,321; Bryant – $8,013; and Salamonia – $4,963.

According to federal guidelines, the money can be used to cover expenses that occurred because of COVID-19, were not accounted for in the budget and were incurred between March 1 and the end of the year.

That can include salaries paid to employees who were considered essential while non-essential government functions were shut down. For instance, Jay County non-essential government services were shut down from March 25 through May 4.

“We’re going to try to get some reimbursement for some of the expenses we’ve already had at the county level with overtime and such,” said Jay County Community Development director Ami Huffman, who is helping municipalities with the application process. “We have the documentation and it was for coronavirus, so we’re hoping that that goes through.”

From the start of the shutdown, Jay County Commissioners asked both department heads and Jay County Auditor’s Office to document any funds spent related to the pandemic. To make tracking easier, Jay County Council voted to pay all such expenses from the county’s rainy day fund.

“I think we’ve documented all of this as well as we can,” said Huffman. “And you just apply for it. And if they say no, they say no.”

The first step in that process is turning in a certification document, which then secures funding for each unit of government. Thus far, the county, Portland, Dunkirk and Pennville have all done so. Redkey Town Council plans to sign its letter at its meeting Tuesday, and Bryant is also preparing its document. Huffman, who notified local units of government of the available funds via email, plans to reach out again to Salamonia as well.

Once approved, government units then turn in a request form and documentation in order to draw down the money.

Already, Jay County has spent an estimated $175,000 that can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, said auditor Anna Culy.

Dunkirk clerk-treasurer Tina Elliott puts her city’s number at nearly $21,000, with $5,000 of that in supplies alone. Portland has spent more than $9,000 between overtime and supplies, said clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips.

Redkey has thus far been using cleaning supplies it already had on hand, said clerk-treasurer Debbie James, but will need to make a purchase soon. She expects restocking will cost at least $3,000.

In addition to seeking the funds through the CARES Act, the county was also approved in late May for Indiana Criminal Justice Grant funds totaling just over $55,000 to be used to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in areas related to law enforcement.

The bulk of that money — $54,521 — in Jay County will go toward hiring an additional staff member to clean areas including Jay County Jail, Jay County Community Corrections, Jay County Prosecutor’s Office, Jay Circuit Court and Jay Superior Court. The county also was approved for $9,400 for supplies for law enforcement including cleaning items and personal protective equipment.