Cities, counties working to support businesses and meet local recovery needs
As the region continues to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and counties have been busy responding to their local community needs and seeking resources to support their residents and businesses.
A total of 16 cities and counties in North Central Kansas were awarded funds from the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response Supplement (CDBG-CV) program in June and July. Grants were available in two categories — Economic Development and Meal Programs. All awards in North Central Kansas are for Economic Development with two cities also receiving Meal Program grant funding. The Economic Development grants provide communities with funding to help local businesses retain jobs for low-to-moderate income people by covering working capital expenses such as inventory, wages and utilities. The CDBG-CV awards are part of the state’s allocation from the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Counties also received SPARK funding through the state’s CARES Act allocation. The State of Kansas implemented a SPARK team (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas) to help oversee the distribution of these relief funds for COVID response and recovery efforts. Counties were allocated SPARK funds based on a formula that takes into account population, virus impacts and unemployment rates.
NCRPC staff are working with some of the region’s cities and counties to provide administration assistance for both funding programs.
Resources continue to change rapidly. For current information on COVID-19 resources available in the region, visit our resources page. For state information, visit the Kansas COVID-19 Response and Recovery page.
This article appeared in the September 2020 NCRPC Newsletter.
