Task Force Recommends $7.2M In Coronavirus Relief For Aurora

AURORA, IL — The city of Aurora could get more than $7 million in coronavirus relief funding, after a Kane County task force recommended a proposal to split about half of the county’s funding from the federal CARES Act among its municipalities, according to a report by the Kane County Chronicle.

The county received $92.9 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, officials said in May. Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen established a Coronavirus Relief Task Force, led by Auditor Terry Hunt, to recommend how to allocate the county’s funding to help its residents.

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The task force recently recommended distributing $41.8 million of the federal funds to municipalities in the county based on population, the Kane County Chronicle reports. Under the task force’s recommended proposal, Aurora would receive $7.2 million in funding, Elgin would get $7.3 million and unincorporated areas would receive a total of about $7.3 million, the report states.

The recommendation calls for the Tri-Cities region to receive about $6.3 million, with $2.5 million for St. Charles, $2 million for Batavia and $1.7 million for Geneva.

The proposal means each municipality would receive about $78.50 per person, based on the county's population of 532,304, the report states.

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The Kane County Board used $5 million to support the Health Department’s efforts to distribute protective gear to residents, the report states. The task force’s recommendation also urges officials to keep $42 million to cover the county’s coronavirus-related costs, according to the report.

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The Metro West Council of Government on Wednesday said it is against the recommendation as it does not cover all expenses incurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kane County Chronicle reports. The council, made up of leaders of 18 communities, had urged the Kane County Board to immediately distribute at least $45 million to municipalities.

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Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, who serves as president of the Metro West Council, said funding should be disbursed to communities on a rolling basis, with coronavirus-related costs set to continue at least through the end of the year.

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Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin testified to the task force that the city is a uniquely dire position because it must obtain coronavirus relief funding from each of the four counties it is located in after state lawmakers delegated the distribution of CARES Act funding to county officials.

In May, Aurora officials said the city could be facing a $35 million budget hole due to the coronavirus pandemic, with uncertainty over when and how much tax revenues will be collected this year. The city approved a $477 million budget for 2020 in December.