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Calhoun County approves roughly $440,000 in CDBG CARES Act funds to reimburse COVID-19 response, support vulnerable residents
Summary
The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an authorization to accept and use an approximately $440,000 CDBG CARES Act grant to reimburse county COVID-19 expenses and to pass funds to community organizations serving vulnerable populations, following a public hearing with no speakers.
The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 1 unanimously approved an authorizing resolution to accept an approximately $440,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) CARES Act allocation passed through the State of Michigan to reimburse county COVID-19 response costs and to provide pass-through funding to community partners serving vulnerable populations.
County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott presented the funding during a public hearing, saying the allocation can reimburse eligible expenditures made through December or be passed through to community organizations providing COVID-19 response services. Scott said staff are prioritizing internal expenditures that qualify for reimbursement before distributing funds externally and cited potential uses that have been discussed locally, including support for a Battle Creek initiative to transition to a new homeless shelter and additional testing sites in Albion.
Deputy Controller Megan Banning was present to provide an overview of the grant mechanics. No members of the public spoke during the hearing; Chair Steve Frisbie closed the public hearing and the board voted 7-0 to adopt the authorizing resolution (Res.165-2020). The vote was recorded as Yes — Commissioners Derek King, Tommy Miller, Gary Tompkins, Kathy-Sue Vette, Rochelle Hatcher, Jake Smith and Chair Steve Frisbie.
Scott said the funding’s flexibility — allowing reimbursement of past eligible costs and pass-through grants to community groups — makes it particularly useful for addressing immediate needs among vulnerable residents affected by the pandemic. She also said county staff will continue coordinating with finance and county leadership to ensure eligible internal costs are covered first and to determine if community organizations’ proposals meet the grant’s allowable activities.
The board opened the hearing (Res.163-2020) and closed it after Scott’s presentation (Res.164-2020) before voting to accept the funding. The county will outline specific allocations and any pass-through grants after further internal review and consultation with community partners.
The resolution authorizes the county to receive and use the federal pass-through funds; specific awards to outside organizations or line-item allocations were not specified at the Oct. 1 meeting.
