Distribution of virus relief funds causes frustration

Cities must seek a share from county money, fear portions won’t meet need.

For more than two months, leaders of cities in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties had been wondering how they would get access to the federal aid provided to help cover costs associated with responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Those counties — plus the city of Atlanta — received a direct allocation of more than $614 million collectively to pay for things like virus-related employee overtime, the purchase of protective equipment, or architectural changes that encourage social distancing in their buildings.

But the counties didn’t distribute money to the cities in their boundaries, telling them to appeal directly to the state for relief.

Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp sent the cities back to the counties.

In a letter to city and county leaders statewide, Kemp said the 48 municipalities in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett would have to ask county leaders for a share of the money their respective county governments received.

All four counties have indicated a willingness to share some of the proceeds, but at a far smaller percentage than suggested by Kemp, who said the allocations should be based on population.

Gwinnett has $10 million it plans to share with its 16 cities and the county health department, while Fulton has put aside $2.5 million for the 14 cities outside Atlanta. One city, Mountain Park, has said it had no coronavirus expenses and wouldn’t need the money.

Cobb is still determining what might be available for its six cities, though a spokesperson said officials “indicated a willingness to share a portion” of the $132 million the county received.

And DeKalb County leaders on Monday said they plan to make a total of $32.6 million available to a dozen cities, a little more than a quarter of the $125 million in federal CARES Act funding the county received.

City leaders said they are glad to be receiving some money, but many still expressed frustration with the process or said the amount being shared isn’t enough.

“I think it’s a pittance of what it should be,” said South Fulton Mayor Bill Edwards. “When you divide it up between the cities, it was a pittance, it was low, it was embarrassing.”

South Fulton will be asking for $135,533 based on expenditures through mid-May, but Edwards said he’s concerned that distributions won’t be equitable.

Vince Williams, the mayor of Union City and president of the Georgia Municipal Association, said the amount Fulton County has made available won’t be enough to address the need.

“I am not one to say I don’t appreciate the gesture, but it is not appropriate,” Williams said. “Somebody’s really going to be left out.”

Robb Pitts, chairman of the Fulton County Commission, said the cities can expect no more. The county has allocated about 90% of the $104 million it received, he said.

And when the county spends money on testing, food insecurity, job training or small business loans, that money is helping city residents, too. County Manager Dick Anderson said $60.9 million was going to help the cities through those expenditures and others, including $9.4 million the county spent on protective equipment that it is sharing with the cities.

“We have $6 million left to carry us through the end of the year,” Pitts said. “We don’t have any more. We will use that for county-wide purposes and therefore the cities will benefit.”

Mike Bodker, mayor of Johns Creek in north Fulton, said he understands the county has a lot of responsibilities. But, he said, the cities have needs as well.

Johns Creek is requesting $103,573 in reimbursements. According to the state formula, he said, the city would be eligible for $12 million.

“It’s just simply unfair,” he said. Fairness is a major issue for Larry Hanson, the executive director of the Georgia Municipal Association.

Compared to local governments in the rest of the state, he said, the 48 cities in the state’s most populous region have been largely left out. While the money was distributed to the counties based on population, the cities aren’t getting a proportional amount.

The Association County Commissioners of Georgia asked Kemp to allow the metro cities to be eligible for CARES Act funding from the state as well, said Clint Mueller, the group’s legislative director. He said to do so would have reduced the amount available in the rest of the state by about 5%, but that Kemp’s decision to use U.S. Treasury Department guidance was the “safe thing” to do.

“My opinion is that counties are going to be more willing to give money to cities if the cities come with more information about how they’re spending it,” he said. “There’s enough ways we can legally spend it.”

In the Gwinnett County city of Lawrenceville, City Manager Chuck Warbington lauded the county for sharing the funds. But like other leaders, he said the process would have been easier for him if money came directly from the state, so local leaders could decide how to spend it.

“We could have made our own interpretations,” he said. “Now, we have to have it blessed by the county.”

If the county decides hazard pay is no longer warranted — it’s now only allowed through Wednesday — Lawrenceville won’t be able to request reimbursements for it, even if city leaders think workers deserve the boost.

Peachtree Corners City Manager Brian Johnson said if left up to him, he too would have chosen to get money directly from the state. But he said Gwinnett has been communicative.

In Cobb County, Acworth City Manager Brian Bulthuis said there are some changes in response to the pandemic that he has delayed while waiting to see how much aid the city will get. He wants to permanently enclose some customer service windows to further safeguard employees’ health, and he would like to purchase audio/ visual equipment, as the city council has moved into a community center without the equipment and has stopped recording its meetings.

With more money, he said, the city can afford some improvements.

In Marietta, a spokesperson estimated the costs of renovating buildings, buying protective equipment, improving technology and cleaning public spaces could top $1 million.

DeKalb County mayors said the funding is crucial for making important budget decisions on things like hazard pay for frontline workers and assistance for local small businesses.

Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett called the agreement with DeKalb “a reasonable compromise,” saying she understands the emphasis on countywide programs. But, she said, city leaders are on the ground and are better able to see local needs than leaders at the county level are.

Decatur — whose popular downtown is filled with shops, restaurants and bars — already launched a small business loan program this summer. Garrett said the city also has incurred costs for personal protective equipment and cleaning.

“It’s been hard to know exactly how to spend money that we didn’t know if we would get or not,” Garrett said.

REBECCA WRIGHT / FOR THE AJC Social distancing signage, sanitation equipment and plexiglass barriers have been installed at the Cobb Tax Commission Office in Marietta, paid for with coronavirus relief funds. Cities within the metro area are frustrated that the funds were distributed at the county level and not to municipalities.