Habersham County will receive the balance of its $1.6 million CARES Act grant funding request now that it’s been approved by the state. The county, which in July received $502,380 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) fund, will receive an additional $1,172,221.
State officials approved the remaining distribution on September 1 after the county filed additional paperwork supporting its request.
“We are thankful to Governor Kemp and the State of Georgia for allocating these much-needed funds to help offset costs related to the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has heavily impacted Habersham County,” says County Manager Phil Sutton. “I am also thankful to staff who worked meticulously to ensure we received 100% of CARES Act funds requested.”
The CARES Act, approved by Congress in March, established a $150 billion coronavirus relief fund to help state, local, and tribal governments deal with the financial impacts of the pandemic. The money may only be used for “necessary expenditures” related to COVID 19 which were not budgeted for and have been or will be incurred between March 1 and December 30 of this year. $1,079,881 of Habersham’s CARES Act grant will be allocated to the General Fund while the remaining $594,720 will be allocated to the Emergency Services Fund.
In Habersham County, specific items to be paid for using the funds include nine Stryker powered systems, six portable transport ventilators, and two Frazer infectious disease ambulances. One of the new ambulances, painted in Habersham County Emergency Services’ new color scheme, was delivered to the county on Wednesday, September 2.
“This new unit meets all required safety standards that are of the upmost importance for the safety of our personnel, patients, and families that have to utilize our services,” says HCES Director Chad Black. “We are extremely grateful to our personnel and their dedication along with our county commission and citizens of Habersham County.”
Habersham County Public Information Officer Carolyn McDuffie says other items to be purchased with the funds are “still under discussion.”
“These funds will provide a significant boost to our local fight against COVID and will provide needed resources within our community for a long time to come,” says Habersham County Commission Board Chairman Stacy Hall. “I’m grateful for our county manager and finance department who worked diligently to make sure our community was able to access the full appropriation.”
According to county officials, 98% of the grant funding will be applied to this fiscal year, while the remainder will be applied to FY2021.
