Where will the money go? El Paso County receives $125 million in CARES Act funding
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- El Paso County received more than $125 million in CARES Act money from the federal government. The money is meant to help communities across the nation pay for losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
KRDO is tracking where that money will go and how it will be spent. Many city leaders are still seeking federal guidance about how they can and cannot spend the federal funds. The millions of dollars haven't left the county coffers yet, but there are plans in the the works for how to spend it.
The county kept 55% of the money and divided the rest up among cities based on population.
Here's a breakdown of how those funds were allocated:
El Paso County: $84,402,955
Calhan: $65,800
Colorado Springs: $37,526,357
Fountain: $2,424,381
Green Mountain Falls: $68,413
Manitou Springs: $431,381
Monument: $554,033
Palmer Lake: $221,154
Ramah: $10,294
"Anything that you can say is COVID related or defined as COVID related, you can use these dollars to offset those costs," Mark Waller El Paso County Commission Chair said.
The majority of the CARES Act money that the county kept will go towards upgrades in the jail to ensure inmates are able to isolate, equipment for county employees to work from home and the hiring of employees with COVID-19 specific jobs.
El Paso County intends to save about $20 to $30 million for a cushion if there are more COVID-19 shutdowns later in the year.
"Ultimately the county is responsible for how those dollars get spent," Waller said. "So, absolutely we are going to be providing oversight on that."
Waller told KRDO all municipalities have indicated how they will use the money properly. The county is working on distributing inter-governmental agreements to seal the deal.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers already has some ideas on how the city may spend its share.
"Personal protective equipment that police and fire are using. We've done a lot of plexiglass construction in the city in places where the public relates to city employees," Suthers said.
As Colorado Springs faces a looming pay cut across the board for city employees, Suthers believes this money will help pay the salaries of public safety employees whose job duties are different due to COVID-19. The projected cost of public safety payroll for the rest of the year is about $80 million in Colorado Springs.
"Public safety payroll is presumed to be COVID related and you don't have any further burden of proof so you can apply it to it. That will help us considerably," Suthers said.
"We were really happy with what we got," Fountain Mayor Gabriel Ortega said. "We weren't expecting as much."
Ortega said some of the $2 million will go to backpay for masks and thermometers for city employees. The city estimates it lost about $1 million in revenue related directly to the pandemic.
The mayor told KRDO the city isn't expecting as much loss from sales tax because larger stores like Walmart and Safeway are the primary businesses in the city.
However, the City of Fountain wants to use some of the funds to help the community.
"We're developing a small business impact grant that we can hopefully provide some of the small businesses here in town," Ortega said.
Manitou Springs Mayor John Graham told KRDO he is thankful the county provided his city with some extra money. Graham said he is reluctant to spend the funds immediately due to uncertainty related to the pandemic. The city will likely spend some of the money on personal protective equipment for first responders, according to Graham. He anticipates a portion will fund social distancing signs in the city when tourist season ramps back up.
The El Paso County Commission Chair said Congress is considering allowing municipalities to use these funds to make up for budget shortfalls. However, at this time, the money can only be spent on fighting COVID-19.
