Subject:
Title
Amend sub-award with Fairfax County to return $50,000 of CHO funds for Town CARES use
Body
EXPLANATION AND SUMMARY:
On November 2, 2020, Town Council approved an amendment to the CARES sub-award agreement with Fairfax County to provide $100,000 of Town CARES funds to CHO (Committee for Helping Others) for a Supplemental Basic Needs Services grant, since the Town had no mechanism for this sort of spending. The $100,000 was to be used for direct payments (equal to one month) for housing expenses (i.e., rent or mortgage) and non-municipal utilities (i.e., gas or electricity) for eligible Town of Vienna residents and business workers living within Fairfax County.
The program, despite being carefully crafted and advertised, did not achieve good participation. After three months, the program had distributed only $32,000. The Town's economic development director and finance director and the county division director of health and human services had many discussions as to why this was the case. This grant was established almost a year into the coronavirus pandemic, due to direction changes mandated by the county (the prime recipient), after months of development. The county had already spent $20 million of its $194 million CARES allocation for community and business support and $26 million for a business-related RISE grant program, of which the Town contributed $1 million for direct support ofTown businesses.
The Town also administered a $49,000 utility relief grant for delinquent water and sewer bills, and the county administered another $34 million specifically targeting rent, mortgage, and utilities assistance. While the need continues, other programs had more resources and publicity and were fulfilling the same needs.
These leftover funds may be used for additional, unfunded eligible Town CARES expenditures, such as supplementing IT hardware and software to support remote broadcasting and teleworking, additional overtime costs to support and en...
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