IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
AN ORDINANCE partially rescinding Ordinance 5594, dated January 31, 2022, appropriating $354,807.00 from the undesignated fund balance of the 2022 Grant Fund, and authorizing the County Executive to execute an addendum to the existing Cooperative Agreement with Community Services League of Independence, MO, for administration of emergency rental assistance funding on behalf of Jackson County, at an additional cost to the County not to exceed $354,807.00.
Intro
ORDINANCE NO. 5661, September 12, 2022
INTRODUCED BY Theresa Cass Galvin, 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 programs (ERAP) included within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 makes 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 ERAP 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, Ordinance 5546, dated September 20, 2021, Ordinance 5594, dated January 31, 2022, and Ordinance 5622, dated April 25, 2022, the County contracted with the Community Services League (CSL) of Independence, MO, to administer the County’s ERAP 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 ERAP 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, by Ordinance 5594, dated January 31, 2022, the Legislature did appropriate funds projected to be received from the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) and authorize an Addendum to the existing Cooperative Agreement with CSL to provide these rental assistance services to the citizens of Jackson County, both in the amount of $25,000,000.00; and,
WHEREAS, since the adoption of Ordinance 5594, the County has been advised by the MHDC that $12,000,000.00 of the projected $25,000,000.00 will not be forthcoming; and,
WHEREAS, in view of this, it is necessary that Ordinance 5594’s appropriation and allocation to CSL be reduced by $12,000,000.00 to a new amount of $13,000,000.00, to reflect the actual allocation of funds received; and,
WHEREAS, the U.S. Treasury has now distributed to the County an additional $354,807.00 in ERAP funds, which should be allocated to CSL, bringing CSL’s total ERAP allocation to the sum of $41,616,121.00; and,
WHEREAS, the execution of an Addendum to the existing Cooperative Agreement with CSL for the continued administration of ERA funds that reflects the additional and reduced funding set out in this Ordinance, 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 and recission of a previous appropriation be and hereby are made:
|
DEPARTMENT/DIVISION |
CHARACTER/DESCRIPTION |
FROM |
TO |
|
Grant Fund |
|
|
|
|
Emergency Rental Assistance 1 |
|
|
|
|
010-1030 |
45234- Increase Revenues |
$354,807 |
|
|
010-9999 |
32810- Undesignated Fund Balance |
|
$354,807 |
|
010-9999 |
32810- Undesignated Fund Balance |
$354,807 |
|
|
Emergency Rental Assistance 1 |
|
|
|
|
010-1030 |
56789- Outside Agency Funding |
|
$354,807 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
MHDC Emergency Rental Assistance |
|
|
|
|
010-1031 |
56789- Outside Agency Funding |
$12,000,000 |
|
|
010-9999 |
32810- Undesignated Fund Balance |
|
$12,000,000 |
and,
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the County Executive be and hereby is authorized to execute an appropriate 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, all previous addendums, and the original Agreement; and,
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the portion of Ordinance 5594, dated January 31, 2022, that appropriated funds and authorized a contract Addendum with CSL in amount in excess of $13,000,000.00, be and is hereby rescinded.
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. 5661 introduced on September 12, 2022, was duly passed on September 19, 2022 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _______8________ Nays _____1_________
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. 5661.
____________________ ________________________________
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: $354,807.00
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 1030 56789
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
Emergency Rental Assistance 1
Outside Agency Funding
NOT TO EXCEED: $354,807.00
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 010 1031 56789
ACCOUNT TITLE: Grant Fund
MHDC Emergency Rental Asst
Outside Agency Funding
NOT TO EXCEED: ($12,000,000.00)
________________________ _____________________________
Date Chief Administrative Officer