NJ Gov. Phil Murphy
EVESHAM – Alongside Congressmen Andy Kim and Donald Norcross, Gov. Phil Murphy today announced $60 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to aid counties and municipalities that were excluded from the federal government’s direct CRF allocation plan.
Atlantic County received $6,318,936, with Ventnor City receiving $152,081, Margate City $74,493 and Longport $8,909.
The COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted county and local governments in New Jersey, and are facing increased costs for health benefits, health and human services, public safety, overtime, equipment, and supply expenditures. Relief funds will help to address necessary and unexpected expenditures necessitated by the pandemic.
The New Jersey Department of Human Services is also providing up to $10 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to support the state’s County Boards of Social Services with COVID-related expenses such as technology to adapt to remote work, expanding to meet growing demand, and supplies and materials to meet COVID-19 health and safety standards.
“Local governments have stepped up to meet the needs of their communities throughout this pandemic, and we are strengthening their efforts today with $60 million dollars in direct relief,” Murphy said. “We know these funds will be a welcome lifeline of support for essential government services and New Jersey’s taxpayers.”
“This CRF funding is going to make a world of difference for short- and long-term municipal recovery efforts,” said Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. “DCA will work to distribute this relief funding equitably and fairly to our communities as we rebuild the state’s economy. No one will be left behind.”
“Our state has been hit hard by this crisis, and we need to do everything we can to help our communities stay safe and healthy,” Kim said. “I’m proud to have voted to help deliver this funding back home, but the work isn’t done. I’ll keep working with my colleagues in Congress to find bipartisan solutions that will help New Jersey, and won’t stop pressing until this pandemic is over and working people are back on their feet.”
Norcross said the funding would have a profound impact on the municipalities.
“These resources will provide our local governments with the vital funding needed to help cover unexpected costs from the pandemic and keep our first responders and other essential workers safe and on the job,” he said.
Qualifying expenditures for the Local Government Emergency Fund include public safety and health-related expenses, COVID-19-related overtime, increased residential and health-related garbage collection and services, remote working technology, signage and information technology related to the COVID-19 response and recovery, and public health-related retrofit expenses for reopening.
The Local Government Emergency Fund allocation formula uses a variety of relevant metrics, including the municipal COVID-19 infection rate, fiscal stress, the Municipal Revitalization Index, population, and public safety and health and human services expenditures share of the budget to determine the amount of funds counties and municipalities receive.
Funds awarded may not be used for government revenue replacement, including the provision of assistance to meet tax obligations. Eligible expenditures must be incurred during the covered period between March 1 and Dec. 30, 2020.
The fund allocations by county (including distributions to municipal governments) are listed below. For a full list of municipal allocations broken down by county, please click here: http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dlgs/programs/lgef.html
