Jefferson City hopes for federal funding to cover COVID-19 costs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

As Cole County gears up to distribute more of it's federal CARES Act Funding, Jefferson City leaders are hoping to get their hands on some of those dollars.

Cole County was given $9 million in CARES Act funding to help relieve costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission previously distributed $1.5 million to schools in the county during the first phase.

Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman said phase two includes $2 million. The application to apply will open Sept. 8 and closes Sept. 30.

You can find more information about eligibility and the application here.

The commission has broken down where those dollars will go, and how much each entity can apply for.

• $1 million: cities in Cole County (limits based on census population)
• $500,000: to hospitals, nursing homes, and for-profit medical centers
• $300,000: not-for-profits (limited to $25,000 per entity)
• $200,000: small businesses (Limited to $5,000 per entity and only for those that have not received other COVID-19 funding)

Jefferson City has not received CARES Act funding yet, but Mayor Carrie Tergin said leaders put together a list of things are they hoping to get reimbursed.

She said while the list is lengthy, it covers many areas like PPE, items to make buildings safer, as well as salaries for people directly working on COVID-19 related issues.

The funding requests directly relate to public safety, like fire, police and public works, according to Tergin.

"A lot of these funding requests relate to that so that we can make sure that we can continue to provide the level of service during the pandemic that the citizens would need,"Tergin said.

Like many cities across the country, funding has been a challenge as sales tax revenue has decreased in Jefferson City since the pandemic began.

"That's why CARES funds that were provided to counties around Missouri are very important," Tergin said. "Cities are definitely going to be relying on those to continue to function."

Cole County received $9 million from the CARES Act in May. Tergin said the city and county have been working together to handle the pandemic.

"We understand it takes time for the process to be determined on how they would distribute those funds to those who really need them the most," Tergin said. "But knowing that we want to make sure moving forward we are prepared."