Williamson County is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of $93,382,340.10, which is provided to the county through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Aid, also known as CARES Act. The CARES Act established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, which will be used to assist states and local governments impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury will issue the money to states and certain local governments. The amount issued to each entity is based upon the population as provided in the CARES act. The funds can only be used to cover costs that:
· are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019
· were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020
· were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020
Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell made the announcement on the funds received during the Tuesday, April 28, Commissioners Court meeting.
“The federal government has decided that the local governments are the most knowledgeable and best prepared to decide how to disperse this money. This is a large amount of money; however I would much rather that local officials make the decision on how to use this money than to leave that decision to Washington,” said Gravell.
The federal money awarded to Williamson County came with the support of United States Senator John Cornyn, who has been rallying behind Judge Bill Gravell’s efforts to keep the county moving forward during this pandemic.
“Thank you to Senator John Cornyn. He was amazing helping us work through the documents and providing information for us through this process,” said Gravell.
Congressman John Carter also worked closely with county elected officials and has played an important role in helping secure a better future for our area by assisting with the process of applying for the CARES Act funds.
“As a leader on the Appropriations Committee in charge of allocating funding, I’m glad to see this federal money come full circle to Texas’ 31st district to help with Coronavirus response. Each locality across the nation is dealing with their own unique COVID-19 situation, so it was important to me and my colleagues that federal dollars were put in the hands of local leadership so it’s used for the most pressing issues facing our community. This $93 million will go a long way in assisting Williamson County with the needs that have arisen as part of the Coronavirus pandemic,” said U.S. State Representative John Carter.
The Commissioners Court appointed a Strike Team for distribution of CARES Act funding for businesses led by County Treasurer Scott Heselmeyer, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey, and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles. The Commissioners Court will hold a special meeting on Friday in order to further discuss business funding.
For more information on what the CARES Act funds can be used for, please visit the U.S. Department of Treasury’s website, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares/state-and-local-governments.