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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE I PROGRAM
WHEREAS, on December 27, 2020, the Cook County Board of Commissioners authorized the Bureau of Economic Development (“BED”) to develop a County program for the distribution f the allocated funding to provide aid to eligible Cook County households in compliance with the terms of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program; and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2021, the United States Treasury Department (‘the Treasury’) under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 made available $25 Billion to States, U.S. territories, Indian tribes, and local governments for Emergency Rental Assistance I (“ERA I”) to assist households who are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, of which $72,808,624.10 was appropriated to Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Cook County applied for Emergency Rental Assistance (“ERA I”) Grant funding from Treasury of which $72,808,624.10 was awarded to Cook County; and
WHEREAS, by September 1, 2021, Cook County had successfully awarded seventy-five percent of the ERA Grant funds to eligible households under the Treasury guidelines, making Cook County eligible to receive reallocated funds from other States and Municipalities through the Treasury; and
WHEREAS, on September 30, 2021, Cook County applied for the first reallocation of ERA I Grant funds from Treasury of which $446, 212 was awarded to Cook County from the redistribution of ERA Grant funds from the National Pool; and
WHEREAS, on January 21, 2022, Cook County applied for the second reallocation of ERA I Grant funds from Treasury of which $6,196,870.79 was awarded to Cook County from the redistribution of ERA I Grant funds from the National Pool; and
WHEREAS, except for budgetary transfers authorized in Section 8 of the Appropriations Bill, transfers greater than $50,000 that are within and between the Personal Services, Contractual Services, Supplies and Materials, Operation and Maintenance, Rental and Leasing, Capital Equipment, and Improvements, or Contingency or Special Purposes account series require advance approval by the Cook County Board of Commissioners (the “Board”) or the Cook County Hospital System Board; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the receipt of ERA I Grant Funds Allocated by the United States Treasury Department to Cook County in the amount of $6,643,082.79 to provide rental assistance to eligible households in Cook County; and
BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED, that the Budget Director is hereby authorized to accept all funds from the Treasury allocated to Cook County under the ERA I Program and to allocate and transfer all such appropriated funds to BED within a special purpose fund established to track the acceptance and spending of such funds in order to advance the County’s ERA I Program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby supports BED initiatives to provide rental and utility assistance to suburban Cook County households who are unable to pay rent and utilities as a result of COVID-19 and further support the allocation of $6,442,000 in ERA I funds to support the ERA I Program in the form of rental assistance, utility assistance, marketing and outreach, operations and logistics, and community partnerships to address the needs of residents in suburban cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board hereby authorizes BED to continue operation of the Cook County Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance I Program and, in accordance with the grant, select organizations and government agencies as well as enter into any agreements as necessary with the selected organizations and government agencies to provide rental and utility assistance to eligible households; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Chief of BED or its designee to modify the agreements and funding allocations to all BED selected organizations and government agencies based upon need and utilization; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chief of the Bureau of Economic Development shall issue periodic reports to the Cook County Board of Commissioners regarding the progress of the ERA I Program
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