The Village of Lombard recently received nearly $2.3 million in COVID-19 relief funding from DuPage County, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Earlier this year, DuPage County received more than $161 million in federal funds through the CARES Act. The Local Government Municipal COVID-19 Reimbursement Program allows these federal funds to be accessed by DuPage cities, towns, and villages, for reimbursement for pandemic related expenses. Lombard received $2,296,667.52, for COVID-19 related expenses including the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders, staffing directly related to the pandemic, commodities, and the cleaning of Village facilities and equipment. This equates to approximately $51 per-capita, which exceeds the State of Illinois’ allocation of $41.50 per capita for downstate areas.
This relief funding was made possible through Intergovernmental Agreements and cooperative efforts of DuPage County, the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference and member municipalities, and the State of Illinois.
“We are grateful to be receiving these needed funds during these challenging times,” said Village President Keith Giagnorio. “Our ability to access these COVID-19 reimbursements is the result of swift and effective collaboration between DuPage County, the DuPage Mayors Managers Conference and local municipalities.”
“The unanticipated expenditures of the COVID-19 pandemic have presented challenges for 2020 and beyond. The CARES funding, combined with our strategic reserves set aside for this kind of situation, will serve as a critical component of our plan to address the Village’s budget and impacts caused by the pandemic,” said Trustee Reid Foltyniewicz, Chair of the Village’s Finance and Administration Committee.
In addition to maintaining a hiring freeze and accessing reserve funds, the Village will continue to consider all other options to reduce expenditures and research other potential revenue sources to face budget challenges. For more information regarding the Village’s budget, visit www.villageoflombard.org/budget.