By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Town Manager Michael Borg has said an application for federal reimbursement for COVID-19-related expenses will be sent by June 5.
At a meeting of the Finance Subcommittee, Borg said up to $2.5 million is being made available, though it comes with a number of rules. The CARES Act requires that the payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund only be used to cover expenses that—
- Are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to COVID–19.
- Were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government.
- Were incurred during the period that begins on March 1 and ends on Dec. 30 of this year.
“It is not and cannot replace lost revenue and receipts,” said Borg at the meeting on Monday, May 18.
Borg said that among the things that the funding could be used for are technology purchased for the virtual board and committee meetings, as well as the North Nurses Hotline. The CARES Act was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 27. This over $2 trillion economic relief package provides economic assistance for workers, small businesses, and local and state governments. Over $2.6 billion has been made available in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Treasury web site.
“The impact of the CARES relief will be some help, but it’s an unknown amount to us at this time,” said Borg. “But we are working diligently to accomplish it.”
