Townships Must Register & Pass Resolution to Receive CARES Act Funds

In late March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided economic relief to states and local governments, assisting communities with the financial burdens caused by COVID-19. Ohio was allocated approximately $1.2 billion to pass along to local governments with a population less than 500,000. SB 310, which at this time is pending concurrence by the Ohio Senate, would distribute $350 million to local governments for COVID-19 related expenses.

While the SB 310 disbursements for townships will flow from the state through county auditors, the Office of Budget and Management considers each local government to be a subrecipient of the state and will structure reporting and monitoring that way; therefore, OBM needs to collect contact information and has attempted to create a process that is streamlined and easy to use. 

• OBM is now accepting registrations from townships for CARES Act funding so that funds can be quickly disbursed after SB 310 is enacted. The registration portal can be found at https://grants.ohio.gov/fundingopportunities.aspx. 
  • Note that each jurisdiction will need a DUNS number to complete the registration. Directions for obtaining a DUNS number, along with how to register it in the federal SAM, are located at https://grants.ohio.gov/helpfulresources.aspx#helpful-resources-DUNS-SAM-registration.

Additionally, SB 310 requires each township adopt a resolution affirming that funds received may be expended only to cover costs consistent with the requirements of section 5001 of the "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act," as described in 42 U.S.C. 601(d), and any applicable regulations. The resolution shall be filed with the county auditor and sent to OBM. 

• The OTA has worked with OBM on a sample resolution that a township may pass. You may access it here. HOWEVER, until the Senate concurs on this bill, the OTA recommends waiting until the bill receives final approval with the Governor's signature before passing a resolution. 

Finally, OBM has developed a 42-minute training to provide an overview of grants management for those who are new to managing federal grant funds or for those who would like a refresher. 

• That training can be found at https://grants.ohio.gov/helpfulresources.aspx#helpful-resources-citizen-grant-training. If you would like to maintain a record of your training, you can register through the Ohio Learn system; if you do not need to maintain a record, you can view the training online through YouTube by clicking the direct link. 

 
Please contact the Ohio Grants Partnership team at OBM at grants@obm.ohio.gov with questions.