Tens of millions in coronavirus relief aid expected for Jackson County communities – MLive.com

JACKSON COUNTY, MI -- Hundreds of millions of dollars will soon be sent to Jackson County communities as part of the newest federal government stimulus package, but they have yet to determine how or when theyll be able to spend that money.

Congress American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, includes $350 billion for state and local governments. More than $10 billion of that could be coming to Michigan, according to preliminary estimates shared by officials.

But just how that aid can be spent still is a mystery, officials said. City and county officials say they have not received federal guidance on the exact value of the aid, how it can be used and if theyll get it in installments or all at once.

Read more: See how much stimulus money your town gets; Michigan splits $10.3B in funding

That makes it difficult for municipalities to plan, Jackson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Steve Shotwell said. The county appreciates the revenue -- preliminary estimates say it will receive $30.7 million -- but Shotwell said hes staying reserved until federal guidance is shared.

You dont want to get caught in a situation where you spend money on a project and have to pay it back, Shotwell said. Then you short-change other revenue down the line.

County department leaders will prepare by recommending projects that could be funded, then recommend them to the board once the federal parameters are set, Shotwell said.

The preliminary estimate of $32 million for the city of Jackson from this coronavirus aid came as a surprise to the administration. By comparison, the citys general fund revenue for this fiscal year is about $26 million.

In April 2020, the city received $756,020 from the CARES Act for coronavirus relief, but this stimulus is bigger in part because population, poverty rates and housing instability for a city were included in determining the aid.

Related: Jackson granted $750,000 from feds to aid fight against coronavirus

No plans have been set for the money because of the lack of spending requirements. In city hall, the conversations are stabilizing the operating budget to address the expected losses of city income tax. More information will be shared with residents, possibly through public input sessions, in the future, City Spokesman Aaron Dimick said.

Its a really big amount of money, but when you look at the overall impacts that were going to see over the next 10 years, we may need that much money to overcome these obstacles at the city level, and also help our community overcome obstacles, Dimick said.

Here is a breakdown of aid estimates for Jackson communities:

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Tens of millions in coronavirus relief aid expected for Jackson County communities - MLive.com