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THE CORONAVIRUS

City of Ely using CARES Act funding in response to COVID-19

Keith Vandervort
Posted 8/6/20

ELY – City officials reviewed expenses incurred so far this year in responding to the coronavirus pandemic and the various executive orders associated with the public health protocols put in …

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THE CORONAVIRUS

City of Ely using CARES Act funding in response to COVID-19

Posted

ELY – City officials reviewed expenses incurred so far this year in responding to the coronavirus pandemic and the various executive orders associated with the public health protocols put in place, in order to accurately account for spending of more than $250,000 in CARES Act funding.
City Clerk Harold Langowski provided an accounting of the funding utilization to city council members Tuesday night. A total of $256,910, based on per capita, was recently received from the federal government as authorized by the state legislature.
About half of the funds have been used so far. CARES Act money must be used by mid-November.
From early March through the end of July, according to Langowski, the city incurred $43,451 in COVID-19 response expenses, including the purchase of three electrostatic disinfectant spray machines for $12,670 and supplies to be used in city facilities and vehicles and tenant-occupied city and EDA buildings.
Other expenses incurred include staff overtime for surface sanitizing, increased trash disposal, additional restroom supplies in the city’s parks, and additional staff time used to provide for social distancing of work areas.
“The approach we are taking is to look at the equipment we require to respond to COVID-19 and how we separate to keep employees safe in case there was an outbreak,” Langowski said.
The police chief has worked extensively in his office area to allow for increased efficiency and employee segregation.
“They have just two or three desks for seven staff members which obviously can be an issue,” he said.
Chief Chad Houde prepared a proposal to purchase additional desks and an additional computer at a cost of $5,800.
Purchasing electronic devices for the clerk’s office and city council to conduct required remote meetings during the pandemic accounts for more than $25,000, including ten Microsoft Surface devices, five laptop computers, support technology and additional tables to allow for social distancing.
“A year ago, who would have thought we would be conducting (remote) meetings on a regular basis,” Langowski said. “When we remodeled City Hall several years ago, we remodeled it to be flexible but we didn’t anticipate that everyone would have to sit six feet apart and use wireless microphones and those types of things.”
New technology will allow for some council members to remotely participate in meetings, if necessary, while others are in chambers.
Langowski described the increased cleaning and sanitizing of city parks since they were reopened.
“We have seen a big increase in usage with more traffic in town,” he said. “You can see that with the amount of trash disposal, at least three or four times what we typically see. That has been a struggle. These changes have added to additional costs. We are two people short in the public works department and we are doing the best we can with our staff.”
He noted that the as many as 12 garbage cans in Whiteside Park typically are filled each day. A dumpster will be located at the park starting this week.
“Please be aware that this is not to be used for household trash or by those coming back from a camping trip,” he said. “Please respect the fact that it is intended for those people using the park.”
Since the COVID-19 emergency declaration in March, the Ely Fire Department has been using the department’s brush-fire response truck, intended to be used for wildland fires, as a first responder vehicle.
“Our concern has been that our first responders have typically used their own vehicles to make those calls, and if they do come in contact with COVID-19 patients, that vehicle would have to be quarantined and cleaned. We don’t want to risk exposing our first responders and their families,” Langowski said.
He noted that the brush truck is part of the fire department’s fleet of emergency vehicles and should be used for that purpose.
He proposed the purchase of a four-door, four-wheel-drive pickup truck to be rigged as a first responder vehicle.
“Our auditor has determined that this is a justifiable expense in our COVID-19 response and would be covered under our CARES Act funding,” he said. He estimated as much as $50,000 would be used for the new first responder vehicle.
More than $100,000 would remain in the emergency fund, Langowski added, but the expenses related to responding to COVID-19 could be continued for an undetermined time. “We could be sanitizing, using PPE (personal protection equipment) and working overtime for who knows how long,” he said.
Langowski is also considering how the city can assist local businesses that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and emergency shutdown orders.
“You can see the impact on our bars and restaurants,” he said. “Some of the bars are still closed and restaurants are at limited capacity and still struggling.”
One option is to offer a rebate on liquor license fees since March 1 for city businesses
“It is not a big amount, just about $1,200, but that could be a way to provide them with a subsidy,” he said.
City staff is also studying the possibility of distribution of grants to those businesses affected by the COVID-19 emergency orders.
“I’m not ready to make a recommendation quite yet but we are working diligently to get that money to the folks who need it most while taking care of our expenses at the same time,” he said.
Langowski was encouraged by the mayor and council members to move forward with developing a plan to utilize the CARES Act funding.