MAC COVID-19 Update
Supplemental provides $1,000 per first responder

Public safety workers would get $1,000 payments under the terms of Senate Bill 690 , sponsored by Appropriations Chairman Jim Stamas (R-Midland), which was unanimously approved by the Senate today.

The bill allocates more than $500 million of the $3.8 billion of federal COVID relief Funding. It includes large support for counties and their front-line workers, including:

  • $100 million for up to $1,000 one-time, either lump sum or hourly, bonus payments for local public safety officers (police, fire, EMT, 911 etc.) under the following conditions -

  1. Requires bonuses be paid by September 30, 2020
  2. Allows local units until December 31, 2020, to apply for reimbursement through Treasury
  3. Requires that reimbursements be made on a first-come, first-served basis and that the payment be made no later than 45 days after all required information is submitted
  4. Sets a maximum award of $5 million to any city, township, village, or county
 
  • $178M in temporary pay increase for direct care workers as follows -

  1. Those already receiving $2/hour under the governor’s order would receive $1 more for $3/hour total
  2. Nursing home workers added to receive $3/hour increase (this includes county medical care facilities)
  3. Eligibility would be until Sept. 30 and retroactive to April 1

  • $62 million for PPE and testing needs for

  1. Meat plants and other agricultural processing centers
  2. Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
  3. Other entities included in DHHS prioritization guidance

  • $125 million in financial help for childcare providers and impacted families
  • $11 million in funding for UIA to hire 300 temporary workers to handle unemployment claims
  • $2.5 million to the Replenish Hospitality Employee Fund to help restaurant workers adversely impacted by closures
  • $20 million in aid to schools to help with connectivity and online curriculum during the transition to distance learning
  • $10 million for schools to assess where students are at academically when they return next school year

According to the Senate Fiscal Agency director, of the $3.8 billion sent to Michigan, $700 million was directly for localities with more than 500,000 in population, while the State Budget Office has reported $95 million in spending through this fund so far. After this supplemental, the federal money remaining would be more than $3 billion.

In other action, counties would get $750,000 in additional support for reimbursements under the leased jail bed program via a supplemental appropriations bill approved by the Senate today.

The money would be for housing offenders who have been sentenced to prison but cannot be transferred to a correctional facility due to Executive Order 29, which temporarily suspended all transfers of offenders into the Department of Corrections' custody.
There’s still time to sign up for next Treasury webinar on May 18

In partnership with the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Municipal League and Michigan Townships Association, the Michigan Department of Treasury is pleased to announce the third joint webinar, “COVID-19 Updates and Resources for Local Governments , ” at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 18.

Topics will include an update after the state of Michigan’s May Michigan Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, an update from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) on project timelines and financing and best practices around local government cash and debt management.

Participants can register and submit questions on the webinar’s registration page.

Each webinar is limited to 1,000 attendees. With previous webinars reaching capacity limits, participants are strongly encouraged to register early.

A fourth webinar is tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 8.Additional information and registration details about this June webinar will be sent in the coming weeks.

T he state Treasury Department has developed a website with numbered letters, communications and resources regarding COVID-19 information for local governments and school districts. This website was created to ensure that Michigan communities have access to the most up-to-date guidance and will be updated frequently with information and resources as they become available.
Need PPE? These Michigan businesses can help

Below are some resources for procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) for your county, or you can refer local businesses to them as well:

Sen. Peters answers questions from local officials

The office of Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) created a Q&A sheet based on questions it has fielded from local officials in recent weeks:

Q: What assistance will there be to state and local governments in upcoming funding bills?

A:


Q: What assistance will there be to state and local governments for shoreline erosion?


Q: What assistance will there be for front-line workers or those who are exempt from the governor’s Stay at Home order?


Q: What is being done regarding PPE?


Q: What is being done regarding testing capabilities and support for our rural health systems?

A:


Q: What assistance will there be to state and local governments in expanding broadband?

Webinar reviews model plan for county preparedness

Counties need to have preparedness/response plans to comply with a state Executive Order, experts with the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA) said during a MAC-sponsored webinar on Wednesday .

The webinar allowed MMRMA to review and take questions on its model response plan for the COVID-19 crisis.

Among key points made by MMRMA’s Cindy King and Stephen Tobler were:

  • Counties should plan for employees to wear masks in their buildings unless the employee is in her office or cubicle.
  • Counties need to think expansively about what areas and surfaces would require regular cleaning, even down to such items as a shared stapler in a copier room, King said.
  • Any questions about returning non-essential staffers to workplaces while the Stay at Home order is still in place should be raised with a county’s legal counsel.

MAC thanks MMRMA for participating in the webinar and for making its model plan available to non-members as counties grapple with the public health, personnel and service-delivery issues created by the COVID-19 crisis.
Experts: Document, document, document on FEMA costs

A team of experts from Witt-O’Brien’s repeatedly emphasized that documentation was critical to successful applications for FEMA reimbursements. The advice was given during a recent webinar from the National Association of Counties. (To see the complete webinar and slide deck, click here .)

Among key points for Michigan county leaders as they prepare their applications:

  • Accounting for hours attributable to COVID is essential
  • Check HR policies and make sure they are clear on overtime and who the policies touch
  • It’s an ongoing situation, so may have to bring in new people to cover new areas and make sure the policy covers everyone (FEMA prefers a policy in place prior to event, but if not, still write it and formalize it ASAP)
  • Emergency and public transportation costs to consider include deep cleaning of vehicles or more vehicles for patrol due to separating officers
  • Costs associated with outreach/messaging to inform public that services are provided at temporary locations are FEMA-eligible

Other tips shared included:

  • “Show clear connective tissue” between your expenses and COVID-19 response, especially in Category B
  • Training for new staff or retrained staff, in Emergency Operation Centers, for example, are eligible costs
  • A good baseline in calculating amounts is the percentage share of your population to the statewide total
  • Think outside the box on such FEMA-eligible items as emergency transit vs. public transit.

FEMA policies will be a moving target because infectious disease response was not comprehensive, the presenters said. Counties are urged to be thorough with documentation and check policy guidance.

Webinars are now slated throughout May to help county officials navigate the reimbursement process. Click here for the schedule. PLEASE NOTE that local officials are REQUIRED to attend at least one of these sessions.

To obtain maximum benefit from the information presented at the briefing, counties should have representatives from its management, emergency response, public works, and accounting/finance/procurement operations and designate a primary point of contact to interact with the recipient and FEMA. Additional information on the Public Assistance Grant Program can be found in the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG) .

For more information, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.