IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION expressing the intent of the County Legislature to provide oversight of federal emergency assistance funds allocated to Jackson County in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20414, April 20, 2020
INTRODUCED BY Theresa Cass Galvin, Dan Tarwater III, Crystal Williams, Tony Miller, Ronald E. Finley, Jeanie Lauer, Jalen Anderson, Charlie Franklin, and Scott Burnett, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic due to COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, on March 12, 2020, in response to the pandemic, County Executive Frank White, Jr., declared a State of Emergency for Jackson County; and,
WHEREAS, U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Missouri Governor Mike Parson have also declared, in one form or another, the ongoing coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic to be a public health emergency; and,
WHEREAS, the United States government has approved three emergency relief packages to provide funds to Jackson County, other local governments, and citizens to meet the unanticipated public health and economic needs caused by the pandemic; and,
WHEREAS, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress, provides for payments to state and local governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak from a Coronavirus Relief Fund and requires that the payments from the Fund only be used to cover expenses that:
1. Are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19);
2. Were not accounted for in the governmental unit’s budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act); and
3. Were incurred during the period that began on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020; and,
WHEREAS, eligible governments should provide payment information and required supporting documentation not later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 17, 2020; and,
WHEREAS, by April 24, 2020, the U.S. Treasury will make payments from the Fund to states and eligible units of local government; and,
WHEREAS, on March 30, 2020, the County Legislature unanimously adopted Ordinance 5322, appropriating $4,513,603.00 to provide emergency funds as part of this public health emergency response; and,
WHEREAS, on April 6, 2020, the County Legislature unanimously adopted Ordinance 5326, appropriating an additional $4 million in emergency assistance funds; and,
WHEREAS, under federal guidelines, Jackson County is eligible for approximately $120 million in federal emergency assistance and the County is required to submit a plan on the use of those funds; and,
WHEREAS, article II, section 16, of the Jackson County Charter provides, in part, that the County Legislature shall have the power to:
(3) Exercise legislative power pertaining to public health, police and traffic, building construction, and planning and zoning in the part of the county outside of incorporated cities and exercise legislative power in the part of the county within incorporated cities, and on such other subjects as may be authorized by the constitution, by law or by county ordinance.
(9) Establish procedures for the safekeeping, deposit, investment, and disbursement of all moneys in or due the county treasury and to require and prescribe the form of financial reports from the county officers and offices.
and,
WHEREAS, it is the expressed intent of the Legislature to provide transparent oversight of the disbursement of the County’s allocation of federal assistance monies for the benefit of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Jackson County and it is the desire of the Legislature to work cooperatively with the County’s Administration toward an appropriate response to this emergency; and,
WHEREAS, the Legislature requests that the Administration’s proposed plan for the use of federal funds, as well as specific expenditures related to COVID-19 emergency assistance be submitted, for approval by the Legislature; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature hereby proclaims its intent to provide oversight of the expenditure of federal emergency assistance funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such expenditures shall be made upon approval of the Legislature.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________ ______________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 20414 of April 20, 2020, was duly passed on April 20, 2020 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _______9________ Nays _______0_______
Abstaining ____0_____ Absent ______0______
________________________ ____________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature