City funding plans create opportunity, risk, Alachua County evictions are on the rise, with 188 cases still open, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. billion: $5.86 billion was deposited into the State Treasury as General Revenue and approximately $2.47 billion was allocated to 12 of the largest counties directly by the U.S. Treasury. During a board of county commissioners special meeting Tuesday, Alachua County Manager Michele Lieberman unveiled disbursement plans for the countys COVID-19 relief funds and a tentative budget plan for the fiscal year 2021, which starts Oct. 1. A majority of those funds about 72% are for Gainesville-based businesses. That totals about $39.3 million, though the county was approved for $46.9 million for the federal program. This is the overwhelming funding, going into this category, said Lieberman. Businesses must be able to show documented loss of profit due to required closure or efforts to rehire furloughed or laid-off workers. 200 East Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399, Copyright 2023 Florida Department of Financial Services. In total, 178,738 people have been vaccinated, that makes up 69% of the eligible. Ken Cornell, chair of the county commission, said this is considered an "emergency action" not an "emergency order," meaning the county can not enforce mandates like masking or vaccinations. All rights reserved. Rental assistance program funds are expected to run out in April. May 1The Community Foundation of Frederick County is accepting online applications for music instruction scholarships through May 31. About 500 businesses also applied for assistance, and about $2.3 million has been awarded to businesses throughout the county. Im just getting back into nursing, just getting back on my feet. Pleasant United Methodist Church, Inc. - $10,000, Neighborhood Housing & Development Corporation - $750,000, North Central Florida YMCA, Inc. - $300,000, Pace Center for Girls, Inc. Alachua - $300,000, Rebuilding Together North Central Florida - $20,000, River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding - $98,400, University of Florida Mobile Outreach Clinic - $300,000. WUSF is reporting on how distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine exposes inequities in Floridas health care system. The money is intended to help a host of organizations provide and increaseservices to area residentswork thatmay have been hindered during the COVID-19 pandemic. This would ultimately result in a difference of $504,226 in comparison to the funds projected revenue for this fiscal year. TOTAL AMOUNT DISBURSED: $1,387,493,832.96 out of $5,855,807,379.80. According to Lieberman, these initial funds must be spent before the county can receive the next set of funds. $249,384,820 GEER funds may be used by the Governor of Florida in support of public elementary and secondary education, institutions of higher education (IHEs), or other education-related entities. In Alachua County, there were 0 newly reported COVID-19 cases and 0 newly reported COVID-19 deaths on Apr 17, 2023. This money helps support county residents struggling to pay rent as a result of the pandemic. Our responsibility is to keep you informed, and to help discern whats important for your family as you make what could be life-saving decisions. According to Lieberman, the funds will be shifted and reallocated to different programs and municipalities depending on need. In addition, the expenditures must not have been accounted for in the most recent budget approved as of March 27, the date the act was signed into law. Thomas is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org. People who are past due on their utility bills will get financial assistance to help getthem caught up through a federal program to help communities recover from COVID-19. $7.5 million for Medium Business relief grants more than 25 to 50 employees, 7. Sexton said all of the CARES Act money was allocated and spent by December 2020. To keep up with the latest local news subscribe to our TV20 newsletterHEREand receive news straight to your email every morning. I would imagine those folks would definitely qualify on the list, he said. The county will hire a third-party consultant, Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, to assist the county in managing and tracking fund disbursements. According to the budget document, this would be only the third time in the last 40 years that the millage rate dipped under eight mills.. Should the proposal be adopted, funds will go toward projects such as developing a new administration building, providing affordable housing and land conservation. High Springs requested about $100,000 and has received about $24,000. About $2.3 million total is expected to be allocated to some 22 local nonprofits. Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs Inc.'s ACORN medical and dental clinic, which is proposed to receive $64,598 . . GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - The application for the Alachua County Cares Act is now live. Alachua County will receive 25% of its aid package, about $11.7 million, in the first round of fund dispersals. Sit down restaurants, entertainment venues, etc. According to Lieberman, these initial funds must be spent before the county can receive the next set of funds. This roll back would include millage reductions, or reductions in property tax rates. And we are looking forward to tackling the challenges of the next year as we continue to build and strengthen partnerships because we are better together., Tags 2021 Budget 2022 2022 Budget Alachua County Budget Alachua County Comission budget CARES Act Property Value Increase, The Gainesville City Commission unanimously voted Thursday to spend $5.6 million on a partial restoration . Copyright 2020 WCJB. This is the overwhelming funding, going into this category, said Lieberman. By, New COVID variant of interest comes to Florida with a common allergy symptom: pinkeye, Abortion clinics urge Florida Supreme Court to maintain privacy clause protection, Quiet and parents' touch help the newborns of opioid users, a study shows. If not expended by October 30, 2020, this amount shall be redistributed to other categories. It is clear to me that building and nurturing strong partnerships within our community is a commission priority, Lieberman said. 86, No. The other $750,000 will be allocated to things like expansion of testing sites and emergency transport costs. The move comes as other districts could be enacting strict mask mandates due to skyrocketing COVID-19 cases as . RELATED STORY: Families in need can receive up to $15,000 for rental assistance in Alachua County. Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, dies at 84, 7 bodies have been found during a search for missing Oklahoma teens, Here are all the best looks from the Met Gala 2023, Florida Adds Nearly 10,000 COVID-19 Cases Wednesday; Hernando County Posts New Daily High, Florida Extends COVID-19 State Of Emergency, Alachua Commissioners Address COVID-19 Spike, Amend Mask Policy. Award amounts will depend on the needs and size of the business. More than $13.6 million has been distributed to nearly 3,500 peopleand households so far, saidApril Shuping, a partner with Carr Riggs & Ingram, which is leadingthe application process. Rental assistance program funds are expected to run out in April. Public health expenses include an initial $2 million in funding for purchasing protective equipment for health workers and disinfecting public facilities (including nursing homes). This would ultimately result in a difference of $504,226 in comparison to the funds projected revenue for this fiscal year. The rest of the funds are split among residents living in other municipalities. Its the constant reevaluation of the criteria that were using to make sure that we get it to as many people as possible in the time thats allotted, she said. The fiscal year 2021 budget plan will be publicly discussed and amended by the board of county commissioners for the next two months, culminating in its adoption on Sept. 22. The $46.9 million in relief funds comes from the federal governments CARES Act, but Alachua County will receive the funds in quarters, starting with $11.7 million to be used for the next six months. Poe said its not likely that the $250,000 will be enough to cover the past-due amounts owed by those withCOVID hardships, but he supports increasing the assistance amount with the help of the federal funds. Denials are usually due to lack of documentation that an economic hardship was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This would mark the fifth consecutive year the county has reduced the millage rate. Gainesville's COVID relief to help residents pay utility bills and fight eviction . $2 million for Medical Expenses $1,250,000 allocated to the Alachua County Department of Health for contact tracing specialists, epidemiologists, and related support staff for testing, tracing, case management, and containment of COVID-19. Required by law to present a balanced budget, County Manager Michelle Liebermans budget proposal shows a budget increase of nearly $78 million for the 2022 fiscal year, including a $25 million increase in the general fund. Alachua County is on track to provide more than $39 million to local residents, businesses and organizations in need of coronavirus aid by the end of the year. However, the taxes are recovering and are expected to continue recovery into the 2022 fiscal year. Its been interesting because early on when we started projecting what the effect of a global pandemic was going to be, there was a great deal of doom and gloom, Sexton said, But the states budget this year was actually the largest budget theyve ever passed.. County staff will report back to the commission at its July 14 meeting with progress on the funds and code enforcement for its mandatory mask policy. Stephanie Bailes, CEO and executive director of the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention, appearedemotional before emphatically stating all the work Cade employees do in the community, including providing 900 community memberships, free classes at local YMCA locationsand hosting graduation for PACE Center for Girls. 20% of this will be available during the first round of the countys CARES Act funding. About $1 million will be available for the payroll expenses of county, municipal and constitutional officer employees working overtime in response to the pandemic. Alachua County Reveals Future COVID-19 Relief And Budget Plans, WUFT 89.1 / 90.1 Featured Thank you Gifts. The most reliable way I think we have to get the money to the people who are in the greatest need is not via the filter of a business its through an inpiduals ability to demonstrate, I havent been able to pay my rent in three months, because I lost my job on March 17, he said. Commissioners decided inpiduals will be able to apply for up to $5,000 (per household), a jump up from the plans initial proposal of $2,500. The Act provided more than $2 trillion in funding for programs including, but not limited to, education, health and human services, labor, housing and agriculture. Their funds have not been distributed yet. The countys property appraiser is estimating a 6% increase in property values this year, Sexton said. To qualify for assistance, a homeowner must: Own and occupy an eligible one- to four- unit primary residence Have experienced a COVID-19 related financial hardship, and have been unable to remain current on mortgage payments Meet household income limits Have been current on mortgage and property taxes as of January 2020 Guidelines The county will receive $52 million in aid, and is in the process of planning how it will be spent. Tenants have to be at or below 80% of the average median income for Alachua County which is at $39,000 yearly for one person. "For almost three years, we have been operating with an eight- to 12-week runway of cash," she said. The Alachua County School District will use federal pandemic relief funding to helpstudents have better access to the internet at home. Saco told commissioners last week thatshe understands that it takes time to approve of American Rescue Plan Act projects,but she said there are some immediate needs like utility assistance that need to be addressed quickly. They decided not to renew my lease December 31 so at this point I havent found nowhere else to place my family. UF Faculty and Students Protest the lack of Covid Protections, 37 local nonprofits would receive federal pandemic grants under recommendation, As pandemic subsides, Alachua County's workforce is back but employers still staffing up, Alachua County Planning Commission votes down proposed development at West End Golf Club, Gainesville for All's planned family learning center, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry - $750,000, Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition - $115,028, Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs, Inc., d/b/a ACORN Clinic - $64,598, Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention - $10,000, Catholic Charities Gainesville - $409,270, CDS, Family & Behavioral Health Services - $138,154, Family Promise of Gainesville, Florida, Inc. - $268,520, FL Institute for Workforce Innovation, d/b/a Project YouthBuild - $422,522, Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida, Inc. - $20,000, Gainesville Area Community Tennis Association, d/b/a Aces In Motion - $20,000, Gainesville Community Counseling Center - $284,698, Gainesville Housing Development and Management Corporation - $20,000, Girls on the Run of Alachua County - $20,000, Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. - $151,773, Mt.

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