IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
AN ORDINANCE accepting a grant in the amount of $6,239,932.00 received from the U.S. Treasury relating to emergency rental assistance authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, appropriating $6,239,932.00 from the undesignated fund balance of the 2021 Grant Fund, and authorizing the County Executive to execute an addendum to the Cooperative Agreement with the Community Services League of Independence, MO, to administer the rental assistance funding on behalf of Jackson County, at a cost to the County not to exceed $6,239,932.00.
Intro
ORDINANCE NO. 5546, September 20, 2021
INTRODUCED BY Dan Tarwater III, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic due to COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, the United States government has approved multiple emergency relief packages to provide funds to the County, other local governments, and citizens to meet unanticipated public health and economic needs caused by the pandemic; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency rental assistance (ERA) program included within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, made available $25 billion to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and,
WHEREAS, on January 26, 2021, the County received its initial allocation of ERA funds from the U.S. Treasury in the amount of $11,550,205.00; and,
WHEREAS, by Ordinance 5493, dated March 15, 2021, the Legislature did appropriate these ERA funds and authorize a Cooperative Agreement with the Community Services League (CSL) of Independence, MO, to administer the expenditure of funds; and,
WHEREAS, the County is required to use the funds to provide assistance to eligible households through existing or newly created rental assistance programs; and,
WHEREAS, the County may only use the funds to provide financial assistance in the form of rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs, utilities and home energy costs arrears, and other expenses related to housing incurred due, directly or indirectly, to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as defined by the Secretary of the Treasury, to eligible households; and,
WHEREAS, to be eligible, a household must be obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling and the County must determine that one or more individuals within a household has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 outbreak; one or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and the household has a household income at or below 80% of the area’s median income; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the U.S. Congress has made an additional $21.55 billion available for ERA; and,
WHEREAS, because Jackson County qualifies as “high need” as defined by Congress, it has received two tranches of these funds totaling $6,239,932.00; and,
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that these ERA funds continue to be maintained in a separate and identified County special revenue fund and not commingled with the general or other special revenue funds of the County; and,
WHEREAS, under the ERA2 program, any direct payments to tenants, as opposed to payments to landlords, must be approved by the Legislative Auditor, and rental assistance will be capped at $1,569.00 per month, reflecting the average market rent for a four-bedroom residential unit in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area; and,
WHEREAS, as provided in Ordinance 5493, it is appropriate that citizens residing throughout the County subject to eviction judgments entered by the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Jackson County continue to be eligible for ERA funds made available by this Ordinance; and,
WHEREAS, the execution of an addendum to the existing Cooperative Agreement with CSL for the administration of these funds, is in the best interests of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the County; now therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the following appropriation be and hereby is made:
DEPARTMENT/DIVISION CHARACTER/DESCRIPTION FROM TO
Grant Fund
Emergency Rental Asst 2
010-1040 45238- Increase Revenues $3,655,655
Emergency Rental Asst
High Need
010-1041 45239- Increase Revenues $2,584,277
010-32810 Undesignated Fund Balance $6,239,932
010-32810 Undesignated Fund Balance $6,239,932
Emergency Rental Asst 2
010-1040 56789-
Outside Agency Funding $3,655,655
Emergency Rental Asst
High Need
010-1041 56789-
Outside Agency Funding $2,584,277
and,
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the County Executive be and hereby is authorized to execute an addendum to the Cooperative Agreement with the CSL in a form to be approved by the County Counselor; and,
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the Director of the Department of Finance and Purchasing be and hereby is authorized to make all payments, including final payment on the Agreement and addendum thereto.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This ordinance shall be effective immediately upon its signature by the County Executive.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ ________________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
I hereby certify that the attached ordinance, Ordinance No. 5546 introduced on September 20, 2021, was duly passed on September 27, 2021 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas ______9_________ Nays _____0_________
Abstaining _____0______ Absent ____0_________
This Ordinance is hereby transmitted to the County Executive for his signature.
____________________ ________________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature
I hereby approve the attached Ordinance No. 5546.
____________________ ________________________________
Date Frank White, Jr., County Executive
Fiscal Note
Funds sufficient for this appropriation are available from the source indicated below.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 010 32810
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
Undesignated Fund Balance
NOT TO EXCEED: $6,239,932.00
There is a balance otherwise unencumbered to the credit of the appropriation to which the expenditure is chargeable and there is a cash balance otherwise unencumbered in the treasury to the credit of the fund from which payment is to be made each sufficient to provide for the obligation herein authorized.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 010 1040 56789
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
Emergency Rental Asst 2
Outside Agency Funding
NOT TO EXCEED: $3,655,655.00
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 010 1041 56789
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
Emergency Rental Asst High Need
Outside Agency Funding
NOT TO EXCEED: $2,584,277.00
________________________ _______________________________
Date Chief Administrative Officer