Casa Grande council finalizes use for CARES funds
by Suzanne Adams-Ockrassa | Casa Grande Dispatch
Casa Grande City Council put its final stamp of approval on its plans for the CARES Act funds it received from the state during Monday night’s meeting.
The city received more than $6.7 million from the state as part of its share of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. These funds can only be used to cover salaries, equipment and other costs for the city’s public safety departments. Gov. Doug Ducey has authorized cities to swap CARES Act funds for the money that cities have budgeted for public safety expenses. He then gave cities the flexibility to use the money that the cities budgeted for public safety on other programs to help their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the plan presented to council by City Manager Larry Rains, the city will use nearly a million dollars to fund a small business and non profit assistance grant program, a community marketing plan to help drive business to local businesses and a residential assistance program. The remaining fund will be held in reserve in case the economic situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic gets worse.
