On June 24, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding use of the Coronavirus Relief Fund. This document may be found here. The new questions and answers are in the “Eligible Expenditures” section and begin with “May funds be used to satisfy non-federal matching requirements under the Stafford Act?” on page 8. Of particular interest to counties, in addition to the question about Stafford Act matching requirements, the new questions address the use of nonprofits to distribute financial assistance, the use of Coronavirus Relief Funds for tourism promotion, and the use of Coronavirus Relief Funds for payroll expenses for public safety, public health, and similar positions.
On Friday, June 26, NACo held a webinar on use of the Coronavirus Relief Fund, during which Dan Kowalski, Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury, provided an overview of the recent FAQs. He also indicated that additional FAQs would be forthcoming, as well as guidance on record retention and reporting requirements. VACo has been in frequent communication with NACo staff to seek clarification regarding use of the Coronavirus Relief Fund, and will share any additional information that is provided.
VACo is collecting information on counties’ planned uses of their Coronavirus Relief Fund allocations. To provide information on how your county plans to use its funds, please contact Katie Boyle at kboyle@vaco.org.
VACo Contact: Katie Boyle