Strickland proposes coronavirus aid go to testing, hazard pay
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland presented a plan Tuesday for spending roughly $113 million that the City of Memphis has received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Out of that money, $12 million is proposed for increased testing, which Strickland will formally present to the Memphis City Council at a later date.
An additional $8.7 million will go to the Shelby County Health Department for tracing the contacts of people who have COVID-19. That amount includes $2.7 million that was approved.
“This new funding, the $2.7 million, will go a long way toward hiring muchneeded workers and will help us box in the virus to stop the spread,” Strickland said at a news conference Wednesday.
Strickland also proposed that $10.2 million go to hazard pay, $23.7 million cover personnel expenses, $7 million cover vacation buyback and that $21.9 million go toward equipment, supplies, materials and other projects.
An additional $9.2 million is proposed to go toward city-owned assets, including the Memphis Zoo ($6.1 million), the Memphis Botanic Garden ($1.3 million), the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art ($1 million) and Autozone Park ($800,000).
Other funding is slated for community investment, including Memphis nonprofits, and for reserves.
Shelby County has also received and is planning how to distribute $50 million in coronavirus aid bill funding.
Katherine Burgess covers county government, religion and the suburbs. She can be reached at katherine.bur gess@commercialappeal.com, 901-5292799 or followed on Twitter @kathsbur gess.