Middle Given DCA Grant to Offset COVID-19 Expenses

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township was approved for $171,325 in emergency funding to reimburse some expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19.
According to a release, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) awarded the township the full amount for which it had applied. Some COVID-related expenses from March through December are eligible for reimbursement through the DCA’s Local Government Emergency Fund.
“This is great news for our taxpayers and great work by our CFO and grants office,” Mayor Timothy Donohue stated. “The township will continue to diligently pursue all funds available to alleviate the real financial burdens imposed as we work to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Chief Financial Officer Susan Quinones was responsible for certifying that the items included in the grant application were eligible for reimbursement.
The DCA is distributing the funds through an allocation of the federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund to counties and municipalities that were not eligible to receive relief money directly from the federal government.
A total of $60 million is being made available through the program. Municipalities were able to calculate their funding eligibility through a formula based on population, the local COVID-19 infection rate, fiscal stress and other factors. Through this process, more money goes to towns and counties that have been most impacted by the pandemic relative to their available resources. Without the grant, local taxpayers would have to cover the unanticipated expenses associated with COVID-19. 
Middle Township will use the funding to recover expenses for employees’ COVID-related sick time – for illness or quarantine – as well as family and medical leave.
The township also will apply the grant toward incidental costs, such as $1,000 spent for new ticket books to accommodate municipal court trials held via Zoom. The existing ticket books didn’t have fields for emails and telephone numbers, which were needed for court administrators to provide defendants with Zoom instructions.
Plus, the township will be able to recover $2,673 in operational costs for its Middle Township Business Recovery Task Force. The task force was formed in partnership with the Middle Township Chamber of Commerce to support local businesses during the pandemic. Businesses were able to take advantage of daily updates, guidance on loans and grants, and informational Zoom meetings.