IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the County Executive to execute an Emergency Rental Assistance Sub-Agreement with the Missouri Housing Development Commission relating to emergency rental assistance funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, appropriating $25,000,000.00 from the undesignated fund balance of the 2022 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.
Intro
ORDINANCE NO. 5594, January 31, 2022
INTRODUCED BY Tony Miller, 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 State of Missouri, the County, other local governments, and citizens to meet unanticipated public health and economic needs caused by the pandemic; and,
WHEREAS, the emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs included within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 make available $46.55 billion to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and,
WHEREAS, the County received an initial allocation of ERA funds from the U.S. Treasury for 2021 in the aggregate amount of $17,790,137.00; and,
WHEREAS, by Ordinance 5493, dated March 15, 2021, and Ordinance 5546, dated September 20, 2021, the County contracted with the Community Services League (CSL) of Independence, MO, to administer the County’s ERA program and expend these funds on behalf of eligible persons; and,
WHEREAS, these funds may be used 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, it is appropriate that these ERA funds 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, the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) has made available to the County a new tranche of federal pass-through ERA funds in the amount of $25,000,000.00, to allow the County to continue its ERA program; and,
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the County Executive be authorized to execute an Emergency Rental Assistance Sub-Agreement with MHDC to govern the expenditure of these funds; and,
WHEREAS, the execution of an Addendum to the existing Cooperative Agreement with CSL for the continued administration of these new ERA funds is in the best interests of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Jackson 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
MHDC Emergency
Rental Assistance
010-1031 45948- Increase Revenues $25,000,000
010-9999 32810-
Undesignated Fund Balance $25,000,000
010-9999 32810-
Undesignated Fund Balance $25,000,000
MHDC Emergency
Rental Assistance
010-1031 56789-
Outside Agency Funding $25,000,000
and,
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the County Executive be and hereby is authorized to execute the attached Emergency Rental Assistance Sub-Agreement with MHDC; 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 Addendum.
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. 5594 introduced on January 31, 2022, was duly passed on February 7, 2022 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. 5594.
____________________ ________________________________
Date Frank White, Jr., County Executive
Fiscal Note
Funds sufficient for this appropriation are available from the source indicated below.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 010 9999 32810
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
Undesignated Fund Balance
NOT TO EXCEED: $25,000,000.00
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 1031 56789
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
MHDC Emergency Rental Assistance
Outside Agency Funding
NOT TO EXCEED: $25,000,000.00
________________________ _______________________________
Date Chief Administrative Officer