As part of the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a Coronavirus Relief Fund (the Fund) was established to be used to make payments for specified uses to States and certain local governments. From the Fund, Fort Bend County received $134,262,393 from the State of Texas and Missouri City is eligible to receive up to $3,763,760.
In the past month, staff met with several regional organizations including the MPACT group, an Emergency Response & Disaster Recovery Consulting Firm that specializes in federal grant management services, to review and compile various projects that could be eligible for Fund disbursements. A full overview of the proposals was presented to City Council at the July 20 Special Virtual Meeting. To watch the full discussion, please click this link: https://bit.ly/30tTsQE.
To further gauge the needs of the MCTX community, staff created a survey to engage residents, businesses and stakeholders in the process. Interested individuals are encouraged to share their input on the proposed projects by taking the online survey via this link: https://bit.ly/31zXMxi.
Once the survey process is complete, the feedback will be reviewed by the City Council and Staff before the funds are allocated to the proposed assistance projects.
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The City has also received several questions regarding the CARES Act Funds, and to address those inquiries, staff has compiled below frequently asked questions:
What is total amount of CARES Act Funds allocated for Missouri City?
$3,763,760; the City would be required to make expenditures up front before receiving reimbursements.
When is the fund going to be dispersed?
CARES Act funding expires Dec. 30, 2020; all funds must be expended by that time frame or returned to the federal government.
What can these funds be used for?
The CARES Act provides that payments from the Fund may only be used to cover costs that:
- Are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19);
- Were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government; and
- Were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020 and ends on Dec. 30, 2020.
Can the City do a stimulus package for every household? If not, can these funds still be used to support residents if projects could not be duplicated?
Local municipalities cannot use funds that duplicate assistance provided through other federal government efforts.
Can residents who applied for Fort Bend or Harris County assistance still apply for MCTX programs?
To prevent duplication of efforts with the Counties, Missouri City programs will be launched after the counties have exhausted all funds or their program is concluded. Once the City’s programs are fully outlined, and the criteria and guidelines are complete, they will be shared with residents and businesses. In the meantime, citizens may apply for the County assistance programs via the below links.
Can citizens be involved in this CARES Act Funds planning/disbursement process?
Interested individuals are encouraged to voice their feedback through the online survey via this link: https://bit.ly/31zXMxi.
Is there a breakdown of fund allocations per program?
To view a list of proposed projects, click this link: https://bit.ly/3fH3ySB.
What projects did City Council vote to approve during the Aug. 3 Regular Virtual Meeting?
To view a list of priority projects, click this link: https://bit.ly/31F4IZQ.
What was the criteria for selection of the projects and who was involved in the final choices?
Projects are still being finalized; but the final choices will be prioritized based on input from the community through the online survey, City Council, City Managers, City Department Directors, the Emergency Management Coordinator and the MPACT Group (COVID and Emergency Response Consultants).
What other area cities, specifically in Fort Bend County, received CARES Act Funds?
To see full distributions, including those for cities in Fort Bend County, click this link: https://bit.ly/3a3gNvF.
Does the City anticipate receiving additional CARES funds in the future that will provide another opportunity for local/outreach assistance?
It is unknown at this time if the Federal Government will release additional funds or an extension for current funds.
What is the definition of small business for this initiative?
For the purposes of a small business assistance program the City is defining small business as a for profit business having 50 employees or less.
Will there be an application component, and if so, how will that work and how will decisions on which individuals/businesses will receive funds be made?
The City will have an application period that will open to citizens/businesses and close once capacity for the funds are exhausted. Any program for CARES Funding will be based on the availability of funds and will be on a first come first served basis to verified qualifying applications as required by to be determined through a formal application and funding process and agreements.
Will there be any metrics/tracking/reporting involved for fund recipients?
There will be responsibilities of the fund recipients to comply with the requirements and designated uses of funds according to CARES Act.
Is the process open to domiciled and non-domiciled companies?
Yes, it is open to both type of companies.
Which City office(s) will coordinate MCTX Cares Act Funds Initiative? Who should residents/companies contact for questions?
Once priorities are finalized staff will identify the department and the contact for each of the projects.
What will be the process for distribution/disbursement of funds and who will be involved in the decision-making (i.e., what will be system to assure citywide reach, how has Financial Services recommended payments be tracked, how has Economic Development recommended businesses be engaged)?
Once priority projects are finalized, staff will work on the disbursements process. For all other priorities, Financial Services has set internal expenditures.
For more information about Missouri City, please watch the City website: www.missouricitytx.gov, like us on Facebook—fb/MissouriCityTX, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat—@MissouriCityTX and Nextdoor, watch Missouri City Television (Ch. 16 on Comcast and Ch. 99 on AT&T U-verse) or download the MCTX Mobile app (available for free in Google Play and the Apple app store).