With President Donald Trump signing the new coronavirus relief package, money will soon be on the way to individuals and businesses in need.
However, Butler County Commissioners would like to see the distribution of those funds happen on a local level.
“As far as the county went, [the relief money] wasn’t anything we needed to underwrite anything on our end, but be able to facilitate those were the business community which suffered the most, would have been helpful,” County Commissioner Leslie Osche said.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel also added that the counties across Pennsylvania advocated for local control and distribution of the funds.
“I think it falls short that it’s not going to be in the local hands, and I think it’s critical that they are,” Boozel said. “We know our areas better than they do at the state level.”
The county contracted with the firm Delta to help oversee the distribution of the nearly $17 million in CARES Act funding that was allotted to Butler in the spring. Osche said with that system already in place, the county was well positioned to distribute those funds again.
“While it was a lot of work, there’s an element and level of trust and accountability when you’re working with someone at this level,” Osche said.
The Butler County Chamber of Commerce, Community Development Corporation, and the county’s chief economic development officer Mark Gordon helped with the last round of funding according to Osche.
Commissioners also say their allotment of CARES Act funding has been exhausted as was requested by the law when it passed.
