Money, lots of it, is headed to every city, village and township in Portage County, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic Covid-19 stimulus package signed into law March 11.
All told, local governments in Portage County will receive $52,845,108 from the federal government
According to the Ohio Township Association website, the distributions are as follows:
Atwater Township: $283,770, in two payments of $141,885
Brimfield Township: $1,082,078, in two payments of $541,039
Charlestown Township: $191,694, in two payments of $95,847
City of Aurora: $1,711,422, in two payments of $855,711
City of Kent: $7,510,281 in two payments of $3,755,140
City of Ravenna: $1,190,076, in two payments of $595,038
City of Streetsboro: $1,726,087, in two payments of $863,043
Deerfield Township: $295,921, in two payments of $147,960
Edinburg Township: $270,048, in two payments of $135,024
Franklin Township: $622,116, in two payments of $311,058
Freedom Township: $298,435, in two payments of $149,217
Hiram Township: $251,402, in two payments of $125,701
Mantua Township: $503,328, in two payments of $251,664
Nelson Township: $331,013, in two payments of $165,506
Palmyra Township: $304,406, in two payments of $152,203
Paris Township: $181,533, in two payments of $90,766
Randolph Township: $553,504, in two payments of $276,752
Ravenna Township: $963,919, in two payments of $481,959
Rootstown Township: $856,235, in two payments of $428,117
Shalersville Township: $591,948, in two payments of $295,974
Suffield Township: $654,589, in two payments of $327,294
Village of Garrettsville: $242,498, in two payments of $121,249
Village of Hiram: $121,406 in two payments of $60,703
Village of Mantua: $106,846, in two payments of $53,423
Village of Sugar Bush Knolls: $19,169 in two payments of $9,584
Village of Windham: $230,661 in two payments of $115,330
Windham Township: $194,732 in two payments of $97,366
Portage County: $31,556,000 in two payments of $15,778,000
According to the Ohio Township Association, the total amount allocated for each city, village or township may not exceed 75% of the jurisdiction’s most recent budget as of Jan. 27, 2020. If any amount is found to be too high, the first and second payments will be revised downward.
Allowable uses for the funds include:
- Supporting public health: Covid-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff
- Addressing negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency: economic harm to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector
- Replacing lost public sector revenue: providing government services to the extent of reduction in revenue experienced during the pandemic
- Providing premium pay for essential workers: offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors
- Investing in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure: making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, supporting vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and expanding access to broadband internet.
Trustees, city councils and commissioners must spend the money by Dec. 31, 2026. It’s not as easy as it seems.
“The rules keep changing. We’re trying to find out where we can actually spend this money,” County Commissioner Tony Badalamenti said. “They talked about infrastructure, but what some of us believe infrastructure is, is different from what the government mandates are. We’re all trying to figure out what we can and can’t spend this money on.”
The county has received its first installment, but Portage County Auditor Janet Esposito stated it will not be spent until the commissioners come up with answers.
“They better be careful. If it’s not paid properly, they will recover it, the feds. They better do what the law says because it will be audited,” Esposito cautioned.
Jennifer Esarey, Streetsboro’s finance director, confirms that allowable uses are somewhat unclear.
“We are planning on using it for approved water projects,” she said, adding that the city engineer and service director are trying to determine exactly what projects would be allowable under state and federal guidelines.
When the money will arrive is also unclear, though Esarey believes the first installment should be deposited into Streetsboro’s coffers in a few months.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.