MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council is expected Tuesday night to vote on the appropriation of $1,690,386.14 in CARES Act relief funds.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the Congress and signed into law by President Trump in March 2020 in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
As part of the relief act, some of the funds were allocated to individual states, which has then released some of the money to local governments.
In order for the city to use the funds, the costs must be incurred between March 1 and Dec. 30. The expenditures must have been incurred as a result of the public health emergency and were not accounted for in the city’s approved 2020 budget. The expenses must be encumbered by mid October.
On July 21, council dispersed equally to four “non-department operation classifications,” with $422,596 going to supplies and materials; contractual services; capital outlay; and other.
At that meeting, Finance Director Linn Steward said plans to determine how to best spend the funds would be the topic of a city administration meeting the following week.
Among other things, the package calls for:
— $209,619 for the fire department, including $150,000 for a COVID-19 safety officer ($1,000 a day for 150 days).
— $282,311 for the police department, including $126,565 for two “neutralize virus patrol cars.”
— $275,000 for the economic development department for “small business community funds to assist in recovery.”
— $246,551 for the maintenance department, including $113,886 to purchase and install touch-free plumbing fixtures in the municipal building.
— $327,881 for the IT department, primarily for laptops and software for remote work and meetings, a need caused by the pandemic.
(For a complete list of appropriations in the package, see the final three pages of the full council agenda below.)
Also on Tuesday, council is scheduled to:
— have a first reading on an ordinance that would issue $35 million in bonds to do EPA-mandated repairs and improvements to the city’s water treatment plan and also an ordinance increasing water rates to help pay for the work and maintain the city’s water system for the next decade.
— Vote on demolitions at nine locations deemed to be dilapidated — 8 Stoodt Ave., 28 Flint St., 132 S. Adams St., 148 Bowman St., 226 S. Diamond St., 239 W. Fourth St., 326 W. Sixth St., 340 West Third St. and 605 Harold Ave.
— vote to amend three traffic ordinances to bring them into compliance with state law.
— discuss during caucus a plan to begin using the “construction manager at risk” during construction of public improvements. If approved, the manager would participate in the design process and could then perform the work or sub-contract all or parts of the project.
— discuss during caucus the acceptance of $50,000 from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to assist with the Opiate Response Team project. Half the money will fund personnel with the other half going to contractual services and supplies. No matching funds will be required.
— vote on granting a license to Oakmont Education, 1160 W. Fourth St., to use the public right-of-way to install a bus shelter.
City Council continues to meet in virtual session. A claims committee at 6:40 p.m. starts the evening. followed by a 6:45 p.m. finance committee. Council caucus is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., followed immediately by the legislative session.
The public can view committee meetings, caucus and council on the livestream on the City of Mansfield’s Facebook page. It can also be viewed on the city’s website.
