Callender Supports Significant Local COVID-19 Relief Funding, Heads to the Governor
State Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) announces that he supported and the General Assembly approved House Bill 614, which provides $650 million of federal CARES Act funding to local communities across Ohio for COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses. The funding will be made available to counties, municipalities, and townships.
“It has been a goal of mine as a legislator and a member of the State Controlling Board to ensure people of Lake County and the state receive COVID-19 relief,” said Callender. “Our local governments need assistance with the expenses incurred by this pandemic, and the House took action today to make that happen.”
The funding is for COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses incurred by local governments between March 1 and the end of 2020 while unused dollars will be returned to the state.
The allocations for the area includes the following:
- Lake County - $8,293,591
- Eastlake City - $650,157
- Fairport Harbor village - $110,522
- Grand River village - $14,486
- Kirtland city - $245,475
- Kirtland Hills village - $23,207
- Lakeline village - $7,820
- Madison village - $114,089
- Mentor city - $1,703,121
- Mentor-on-the-Lake city - $266,304
- North Perry village - $31,856
- Painesville city - $716,607
- Perry village - $58,594
- Timberlake village - $23,351
- Waite Hill village - $16,396
- Wickliffe city - $459,240
- Willoughby city - $827,993
- Willoughby Hills city - $344,249
- Willowick city - $508,284
- Concord township - $654,193
- Leroy township - $117,044
- Madison township - $561,509
- Painesville township - $606,770
- Perry township - $232,322
Callender also announced significant state Controlling Board funding back in August, which supported pandemic-related expenses, including the work of first responders and other local services that have been vital in areas across Ohio. The measure is similar to the approval of $350 million to help local governments by the Ohio House of Representative under House Bill 481, which Callender supported and was signed into law over the summer.
House Bill 614 will also improve Ohio’s unemployment compensation system by creating the Unemployment Compensation Modernization and Improvement Council to evaluate the claim filing process and technological infrastructure. Under the bill, the Auditor of State is required to examine and make recommendations on the efficiency of the process, and the Director of Job and Family Services is required to create a constituent referral system and strategic staffing plan to better serve Ohioans.
The legislation contains an emergency clause and will be effective immediately upon the Governor’s signature.