October 7, 2020
To: County, Municipal, and Township Legislative Bodies and Fiscal Officers
Subject: Additional Coronavirus Relief Fund Distribution (HB-614)
My Office has received Geauga County’s HB-614 additional allocation of Coronavirus Relief funded from the federal CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020 in the amount of $6,749,422.86. Local government allocation is based on population for this distribution and is being included with this communication. Distribution of funds should be by end of this week. As in the past, the distribution of this portion is being locally administered through my Office in conjunction with guidelines established by the Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) and in cooperation with the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office (GCPO).
Pursuant to HB-614, if you previously submitted a resolution from your legislative body accepting HB-481 relief funding, you need do nothing additional. If you have not submitted a resolution to participate previously, it is not too late to do so. A sample resolution can be located at https://www.co.geauga.oh.us/COVID-Funds for your convenience.
You should deposit these additional funds into your previously established special revenue fund entitled “Local Coronavirus Relief Fund (LCRF)”. Please remember that you are restricted in how these funds may be used. If you have questions regarding expenditures, please contact your legal counsel or the OBM for guidance. In general, distributed funds shall be used to cover qualified unanticipated COVID-19 expenses per HB-481 and HB-614. These funds should not be used for previously budgeted expenditures or capital replacement items.
You will need to submit a request for Certification of Revenue with the Geauga County Budget Commission as well as a supplemental appropriation measure prior to encumbering money from this distribution. Expenses from March 1, 2020, through December 30, 2020, are potentially eligible under this grant and must be received and expended within that timeframe.
By November 20, 2020 (note new date, was October 15, 2020), you must surrender any unencumbered balance in your LCRF to the County Auditor’s Office. My Office will deposit surrendered funds in the County Coronavirus Relief Distribution Fund (CCRDF) for redistribution. Redistribution will occur on or before November 25, 2020 (was October 22nd) to those local governments who encumbered all of their initial distribution.
By February 1, 2021 (was December 28, 2020), all unexpended money as of December 30, 2020 shall be directly deposited to the State Treasury by participants. Participant reporting of grant activity should be through the OBM web portal.
Please do not confuse this CARES Act relief (HB-481 and HB-614) with other possible CARES Act programs that you may have received directly from either Federal or State government. Each relief initiative may differ in requirements, reporting, and amount.
Charles E. Walder
Geauga County Auditor
To view this memo, click HERE.
Previous Memo: Dated June 29, 2020.