Lakeland could share in $6 million of COVID-19 funding through the $49.5 million federal CARES Act funding received by Shelby County last month.
Shane Horn, Lakeland city manager, said the City’s portion could be $407,000.
Mick Wright, Shelby County Commissioner from District 3 which includes Lakeland, said, ”We heard the proposal from Mayor (Lee) Harris on Friday sketching out $6 million for the municipal governments.
“The county commission will have to approve the plan, and we will be discussing that in more detail today (5.13.20) in committee. I will do my best to ensure Lakeland both gets a fair share of the funds and that also any special expenses or needs are considered.”
Shelby County Mayor Harris and County Commission Chairman Mark Billingsley announced yesterday (5.12.20) they would recommend the amount for six Shelby County cities.
This announcement comes as local municipalities with populations of less than 500,000 were not able to apply for the Federal CARES Act funding. The Shelby County cities slated to receive access to a portion of the funding, based on population, are Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Lakeland, Germantown and Millington. The City of Memphis was previously awarded $113.6 million in COVID-19 relief funding.
Mayor Harris will propose that the balance of the COVID-19 relief money is used to fund community assistance programs, expand testing and surveillance capabilities, purchase COVID-19 related equipment needs such as personal protective equipment and more.
“All of the municipalities in Shelby County will have to make various adjustments in response to this public health emergency. That’s why we are setting aside a significant sum to account for this important event. This virus does not recognize the boundaries between our municipalities. We have to ensure that all municipalities have the resources they need to slow the spread, keep our residents safe and healthy, and put their communities on the path to recovery,” said Mayor Harris.
Chairman Mark Billingsley: “During these unprecedented times, it is important for leadership across the entire county to come together. This funding will give all municipalities a chance to have the resources they need to keep their residents safe and healthy.”
In April, Gov. Bill Lee allocated $200 million in grants to be distributed to every county and city government across Tennessee for one-time, local expenses in Fiscal Year 2021 from the impact of COVID-19 in the state.
The portion allocated for Lakeland is $308,438 with an application deadline of April 30, 2021. Mr. Horn said, “We have several projects proposed within the 2020-2021 budget that would qualify for these grant funds.”
