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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ACCEPTANCE OF FEDERAL AWARD AND CREATION OF SPECIAL PURPOSE FUND
WHEREAS, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services declared that COVID-19 presents a public health emergency on January 27, 2020, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Cook County Code of Ordinances, Sections 26-36 and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, 20 ILCS 3305/11, on March 10, 2020, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle found that the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 constitute a public health emergency and issued a proclamation of disaster for Cook County which has since been extended monthly by the Cook County Board of Commissioners; and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2021, the federal government authorized the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) which includes $1.9 trillion in federal stimulus funds to hasten the United States’ recovery from the economic and health effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, specifically, the federal government has authorized $350 billion in ARPA funding to be directly allocated to eligible state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to aid in their recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, specifically, the federal government has authorized and allocated a federal award of approximately $1,000,372,385.00 of ARPA funding to Cook County to assist Cook County in its recovery from the economic and health effects of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to submit a timely application for ARPA funding, Cook County, as authorized by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, applied for such funding on May 12, 2021, and on May 19, 2021, Cook County received a portion of the federal award in the amount of $500,186,192.50; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is expected to receive additional ARPA funding allocated to Cook County in the near future; and
WHEREAS, throughout the fiscal year, Cook County departments may apply for and accept federal awards that are under $150,000 with the approval of the Budget Director or are already budgeted; grants and federal awards over $150,000 or grants and federal awards that are otherwise not budgeted require the approval of the Cook County Board of Commissioners; and
WHEREAS, in order to ensure that Cook County appropriately secures the ARPA federal award, the Budget Director and Comptroller shall create a Special Purpose Fund for the ARPA award and other accounting measures that may be necessary to accept and track the receipt of such federal award.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners accepts the ARPA federal awards in the amount of approximately $1,000,372,385.00 as allocated by the federal government; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Budget Director and Comptroller are authorized to create and implement a Special Purpose Fund for the ARPA award and other accounting measures to track the acceptance and spending of the federal award; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Budget Director shall distribute a report regarding the receipt of dollars from the ARPA federal award as well as the Special Purpose Fund created in accordance with this Resolution at each monthly Board of Cook County Commissioner’s meeting. Provided, however, if there is a month for which a Cook County Board meeting is not scheduled, then the report will be issued by the 25th day of such month.
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