City Council to consider CARES Act funding for economic recovery, housing assistance

The Vacaville City Council will vote on a resolution to allocate state funding for a COVID-19 economic recovery strategy as well as financial and housing assistance at its Tuesday meeting.

The council will be voting to reallocate money from the state’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) fund for a city budget adjustment. This adjustment is aimed at providing funding for a COVID economic recovery strategy as well as economic and housing support through the Vacaville Police Department’s Family Resource Center (FRC).

In June, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation approving the state budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Included in this budget is an authorization for the California Department of Finance to allocate $500 million directly to cities to cover expenses related to the public health and safety impacts of the coronavirus.

Allocations for the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) were based on Vacaville’s population as well as the city’s projection to receive a total allocation slightly more than $1.2 million, according to a staff report by Finance Director Ken Matsumiya, Clinical Services Administrator Gloria Diaz; and Don Burrus, director of economic development services.

Among the eligible uses of funding for the CRF are economic housing support, food programs, personal protective equipment costs, small business assistance and cost recovery of payroll or public health and safety employees or employees who are dedicated to the pandemic response, testing and contact tracing. The costs must be incurred between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2020, to be eligible.

For the first report of expenditures the city submitted to the state covering the period of March 1 through June 30, the city claimed about $620,000 — equal to

slightly more than half the allotment — in personnel and supply costs incurred in response to the pandemic. The due date for the next report covering the period of July 1 to Sept. 30 is expected to be due to the state in the first week of October. The new report would include costs associated with programs approved by the council over the last few months. These include $50,000 for homeless non-congregate sheltering approved at the July 28 meeting, as well as $250,000 for the Small Business Grant Program and $12,600 for the Senior Hot Meals Program, both of which were approved at the Aug. 25 meeting.

Additionally, staff is putting two additional programs before the council for possible consideration. The first is a strategy to help the city recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Per the staff report, the Economic Development Services department would be engaging Dr. Robert Eyler — an economics professor at Sonoma State University and president of the firm Economic Forensics and Analytics — to help staff develop a strategy known as a bridge strategy to help Vacaville’s economy recover.

Per the report, 74 percent of the city’s small businesses have fewer than nine employees and are struggling to stay afloat during the statewide shutdown. To help, the city has provided grant assistance and implemented policy changes to allow outdoor business activities.

“The City has an existing economic development strategy but not one that addresses how to deal with and recover from such a deep hit to the local economy, Burrus, Diaz and Matsumiya wrote. “With some projections of the economy not fully recovering until possibly 2023, the challenge of what the City and community can do now and in the following years to stabilize local and small businesses, keep and grow key sectors, and reemploy laid-off workers looms. This bridge strategy will engage economic development partners and community stakeholders in strategic action planning for COVID-19 recovery.”

The city is requesting $49,000 for this item.

Additionally, the FRC is requesting $50,000 for economic and housing support for those directly impacted by the pandemic. The FRC is able to assist 50 families or individuals and approximately 98 children from being dislocated from their homes by assisting with rent, utilities and food. Each family will have a maximum of $1,000 to either pay rent or a combination of rent, utilities and food.

To receive assistance, applicants must provide a current lease agreement for their apartment or home in Vacaville, a signed letter from the landlord indicating how much the family owes as well as a tax assessor statement showing proof of ownership, a copy of a utility bill indicating a

late payment, and a letter from their current or previous employer stating a job loss or decrease in the number of hours worked due to the virus.

Approval of these items would leave approximately $170,000 in CRF funding which may be used for additional cost recovery, to supplement the funding for previously approved CARES Act programs or other eligible expenses related to the city’s COVID-19 response. Staff will return to the council later with another update to the status on CRF funding, which must be used by the end of December.

In other business, the council will accept comments on the Community Block Development Grant’s 2019-20 Annual Performance and Evaluation Report.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Zoom link is Cov.zoom.us/s/91639 754423?pwd=UDg1Ni9id1hy ckpKQVg1MW1jUGZTQT09, and the password is 639925. Participants may also join by phone by dialing (267) 831 0333 or (301) 715 8592 or tollfree at (877) 853 5257 or (888) 475 4499. Participants may dial *67 before the number if they wish to keep their number from being displayed on the screen.

The meeting may also be viewed on Channel 26 or online at Youtube.com/user/ CityofVacaville/videos.