Madison Messenger - September 13th, 2020

PAGE 2 - MADISON MESSENGER - September 13, 2020
www.madisonmessengernews.com
Some COVID-19 relief funds remain unclaimed
Kristy Zurbrick
Madison Editor
As of late last month, $176,000 of
the $1.1 million Madison County received
in CARES Act funds remains
unclaimed.
Passed by Congress in March, the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic
Security (CARES) Act provides economic
relief in the wake of the COVID-
19 pandemic.
Of the $1.1 million allocated to
Madison County, $500,000 was earmarked
for use at the county level. The
breakdown by municipality is as follows:
London, $98,000; Plain City,
West Jefferson and Mount Sterling,
$74,600 each; and South Solon and
Midway, $25,590 each. Between
$11,400 and $11,600 was designated
for each of the county’s 14 townships.
To receive the funds, a government
entity must pass a resolution to accept
the funds and file the resolution with the
Madison County Auditor’s Office, create
an account in which to place the funds,
and agree to comply with reporting requirements
on expenditures. The funds
must be used for COVID-19 related expenses
and must be spent by Dec. 31.
The county and the municipalities
of London, West Jefferson, Plain City
and Mount Sterling have filed resolutions
and claimed their funds. The villages
of South Solon and Midway have
not. Among the townships, Deercreek,
Oak Run, Range and Union have filed
Using CARES Act funds,
government leaders at the
county level have purchased
thermal body temperature
camera systems like this one
for installation at the Madison
County Courthouse and
other county buildings.
resolutions; the other 10 townships
have not.
Jennifer Hunter, Madison County
auditor, said she has reached out to the
Madison County Townships Association
to encourage those 10 remaining
townships to take the steps necessary
to claim the funds. Any unclaimed
funds go back into the pot and are redistributed,
she said.
Hunter said she hopes that Congress
will extend the deadline for using
the funds, so that she and other county
leaders have more time to get local government
leaders on board and, in turn,
those leaders can figure out how they
can use the funds. Some might not
know what expenses are eligible or
that they can share the funds, she said.
“You can get creative and donate
your share to schools, non-profits, food
banks, fire departments, or other government
entities for use on COVID-related
expenses,” she said. “Some big
cities are creating grant programs (with
the funds) to help small businesses.”
According to Rob Slane, county administrator,
the county has put its
share of CARES Act funds to use in a
multitude of ways, from touchless
hand sanitizer, towel and soap dispensers
to thermal scanners for taking
temperatures of people entering county
buildings. The funds also have been
used for safety signage, camera systems
and televisions for conducting online
meetings, and plastic surface
furniture that’s easier to disinfect than
cloth furniture.
“We’re literally buying disinfectant by the barrel,” Slane added.
Hunter reported that more CARES Act funds could be coming
Madison County’s way. She received notification the week of Aug.
24 that a second round of funding is in the works. She was told to
expect about $500,000.
Formula for funding distribution
Hunter is looking into what it would take to change the formula
the county uses to distribute local government funds from the state.
The county is using the same formula and percentages to distribute
the federal CARES Act funds.
Last month, London Mayor Patrick Closser raised questions
about the formula, asking why London, home to approximately 23
percent of the county’s population, receives 9.2 percent of the funding
while Mount Sterling, Plain City and West Jefferson each receive
7 percent.
Hunter said Madison County’s formula was established many
decades ago, likely in the 1960s. The Ohio Revised Code calls for
the creation of a county budget commission to determine the formula.
Such commissions are comprised of the county prosecutor,
county auditor and county treasurer.
Hunter said population is one factor counties consider in setting
their formulas. Road miles and property valuation are some of the
other factors. Each county determines their own set of criteria.
While Closser says Madison County’s model is outdated and
needs to be reviewed as soon as possible, Hunter said any changes
likely would come no earlier than 2022.
“I talked to other auditors to see if they’ve updated their formulas.
I discovered that it is a very involved process,” she said.
The county, the city as the largest municipality in the county,
and a majority of the remaining villages and townships have to approve
any changes.
“We haven’t gone through that process before, and it’s going to
be a lengthy one, I believe,” Hunter said.
ERIN
Continued from page 1
and dancing with each other. It seemed like the world stopped,” she
said.
Like many times before, Ackley-Everhart said, Erin was sending
her a sign when she needed it.
Some of those who responded to Terry’s Facebook announcement
asked if they could still donate to the scholarship fund even though
the meet isn’t taking place this year. That’s when Ackley-Everhart
got the idea to start a gofundme page.
“Terry is not one to throw a hand out and ask for help, but I
thought, ‘It needs to be done,’ and that’s when I called Amy (Brake)
and said, ‘Let’s do this together.’”
Brake was a freshman at London High School and a member of
the cross country team the year that Erin passed away.
“That team and that whole class of 1998 will never forget that
tragedy,” she said. “Things have changed in 22 years, but this will
never change. I will never stop volunteering for this.”
Every year, Brake and her family help to collect donations for
parking at the meet.
“We love the fact that Erin’s memory lives on in this scholarship
and event,” she said.
She also loves that the London community at large, not just people
connected with the meet, have embraced the gofundme effort.
In the first four days, the page brought in $3,185 in donations.
Ackley-Everhart and Brake started with a goal of $2,000. They
plan to keep the page open until Sept. 20, Terry’s birthday, then
personally deliver the funds to Terry and Connie.
Terry said the gofundme effort came as a surprise to him and
Connie.
“We appreciate it,” he said.
To date, the Erin L. Nance Memorial Scholarship Fund has
raised approximately $54,000 and benefited more than 70 London
students.
Anyone interested in donating through the gofundme effort can
visit gofundme.com and search for “Erin L. Nance Scholarship
Fund CC Classic.”