The City of Mountlake Terrace could be eligible for $647,000 in federal CARES Act funds related to the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced late last week that nearly $300 million will be awarded from the state’s federal stimulus funding to local governments that did not receive direct distributions under the CARES Act.
Funds will be provided to cities and counties with populations under 500,000 that were ineligible to receive direct funding under the CARES Act. Each county will receive a minimum distribution of $250,000 and each city will receive a minimum distribution of $25,000 from the state.
In an email Tuesday to city councilmembers announcing the dollar amount, Hugill noted that the funding is “potential” because the use of the funds is limited to costs associated with the city’s response to COVID-19. “It cannot be used to replace city revenues diminished due to the pandemic,” Hugill noted. Examples of qualifying uses of the funds would be food delivery to vulnerable populations and unbudgeted expenses of providing personal protective equipment, he added.
Hugill said that city staff will generate some ideas regarding how the funds could be used, and the community will also be asked for input. The item is likely to appear on the May 18 city council agenda.
“The health of our state’s economy depends on the local economies of our 281 cities and towns,” said Peter King, CEO of the Association of Washington Cities. “We recognize that the road to recovery will be long, and we are grateful to the Governor for providing these vital funds to help offset cities’ costs for emergency response. Cities have been at the forefront of keeping their communities safe and protecting public health.”
According to Inslee’s announcement, under state law, the Legislature must be notified about the awards and be given 10 days to respond before the distributions are made. During that time, the state will work with local governments to get the agreements in place so they can put the money to work as soon as possible.
Real first and last names — as well as city of residence — are required for all commenters.
This is so we can verify your identity before approving your comment.
By commenting here you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct. Please read our code at the bottom of this page before commenting.