The State of Kansas received $1.034 billion from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund. Of that money, the state allocated $450 million in July to Kansas counties based on their population to improve health and economic outcomes. Douglas County received $24.9 million.

In mid-July, Douglas County Administration and Emergency Management employees began working closely with partner agencies in the COVID-19 Recovery Coordination Team to identify eligible expenditures for these funds in accordance with guidelines developed by the U.S. Treasury and the State of Kansas. There are two categories for the funding:

• Reimbursement. The county can collect invoices and receipts for expenses between March 1 and July 31 and submit those for reimbursement.
• Direct Aid Plan. The county can develop plans for how they intend to use funds for direct aid.

The COVID-19 Recovery Coordination Team reviewed the Reimbursement and Direct Aid plan on Aug. 4. The Board of Douglas County Commissioners reviewed and discussed the plan at meetings on August 5 and August 12. They are scheduled to approve it on Aug. 14 and then it will be submitted to the State of Kansas on Aug. 15.

Round 2 Funding

The State of Kansas is offering a second round of $254 million in funding. On July 30, the State Finance Council unanimously approved the public health, education and economic development proposals recommended by the the Executive Committee of the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce. The funding will be distributed through the State of Kansas.

The application portal for Economic Development and Connectivity (Broadband) grants will open at 4 p.m. Thursday, August 13, at: kansascommerce.gov. This includes grants to small businesses and nonprofits that have incurred losses of more than 25% of revenues during COVID, among other eligible categories.