CARES Act allocations approved in Wyandotte County

On Monday, the Wyandotte County Board of Commissioners gathered for a Special Meeting which resulted in an approved allocation of over $37 million in CARES Act funding.

The funding is intended to support the community response to the COVID-19 pandemic across public health, human services, education, and local government, according to a Wednesday news release from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.

Of the funding approved, more than $9 million will be used toward direct aid to local organizations that are assisting in the COVID response including assistance for rent, utilities and food, the release said.

How funds will be allocated was determined using a data-informed scoring method, applications from local organizations and institutions received through an open submission portal on the Unified Government’s website.

“The amount of work this Committee put in over a short period of time is impressive.  Members worked long hours to review every application and formulate the best response for our community,” Commissioner Angela Markley, CARES Act Committee Chair, said.

The release included three resolutions adopted by the commission related to the CARES Act funding recommendations:

1. Adoption of the funding request for the Unified Government’s Public Health Department, which serves Wyandotte County
2. Adoption of the funding requests specific to the Unified Government, Bonner Springs, and Edwardsville
3. Adoption of the funding allocations for non-profit organizations and educational entities

The estimated total of approved CARES ACT funding received is $37,330,934, the release said, and is allocated across three focus areas:

1. Public Health – $13,026,125
2. Cities/County – $18,004,781
3. Education & Non-profit – $6,300,028