Village of Oak Lawn Awarded Over $680K In CARES Act Funds

OAK LAWN, IL — The Village of Oak Lawn was awarded over $680,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to aid in response and recovery efforts. Cook County received approximately $429 million from the CARES Act.

“Funding made available through our process has allowed Oak Lawn to continue to provide critical services during the pandemic to our residents,” President Toni Preckwinkle said during a presentation earlier this week at Oak Lawn Village Hall. “It has helped fill the financial holes that were left when we acted swiftly to protect our first responders in the line of duty. It also assisted residents at five local nursing homes through distribution of PPE. Without question, these efforts have saved numerous lives in Oak Lawn.”

Tuesday’s presentation was the second in a series of planned public appearances to urge all eligible jurisdictions to take the necessary steps to receive vital aid from Cook County. The village was able to fill out the necessary paperwork and received a check for $680,838 shortly after applying in early August.

“Oak Lawn got hit with a double whammy. We’re no different from your households. We have lost revenue and increased expenses.,” Mayor Sandra Bury said. “ At a time when it’s so critical to keep our public safety net this has been really hard. Unfortunately we faced layoffs .... This revenue is desperately needed.”

The village serves as a critical regional hub for the south suburbs, offering a Level 1 trauma center and 911 dispatch center, as well as supplying water to 325,000 residents in 12 suburbs. Forty percent of the CARES grant has been allocated for expenses already incurred, including overtime for first responders and technology enabling village employees to work remotely “to survive the first wave,” Bury said.

Preckwinkle also stressed the need for local governments to apply for over $51 million of coronavirus relief by a September 30 deadline. Cook County received approximately $429 million from the U.S. Treasury from the CARES Act. Under the Act, units of local government with a population exceeding 500,000 are eligible to receive this funding and may distribute these funds to municipalities under this threshold for direct expenses related to coronavirus. Oak Lawn was one of the first suburban municipalities to apply and receive aid through the County process.

“The application process was simple, and Cook County offered assistance every step of the way,” Bury said. “This financial relief will go a long way in ensuring that we have the support needed to get through the challenges that face our community. I would encourage others to visit the County’s website, take advantage of the technical support being offered and get their paperwork in before Sept. 30.”

At minimum, municipalities must let the county know if they plan to apply for CARES funding. Any unused funds left over on Dec. 30 must be returned to U.S. Treasury Department.

“Folks are hesitant because there isn’t the depth or capacity in a lot of municipalities,” said Cook County Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki. “We have a lot of good resources in person and online to get help to help these communities as soon as possible. Even if it’s half an application, let’s get the ball rolling.”

CARES funds are allocated to municipalities based on population and need, particularly communities with underlying socioeconomic and public health needs. Communities like Oak Lawn had a significant number of nursing homes and higher incidence of the pandemic, reporting 1,500 COVID-19 cases.

To date, Cook County has distributed approximately $1.5 million to Schaumburg, Oak Lawn and Elk Grove Village. While Cook County has received 61 other applications which are in the process of being reviewed to ensure all expenses are eligible to be federal reimbursed, it is still waiting for responses from other eligible municipalities. Nearly $50 million remains available to eligible local governments.

“We will be sure to keep local governments and leadership updated with information regarding this process as we approach the September 30th deadline,” Preckwinkle said. “We have all been through an immensely difficult time. I know the potential these dollars hold to help our communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic strain. I look forward to working with all of our municipalities to ensure they can access these resources, and we can rebuild as One Cook County.”

Additional information on CARES Act distribution including applications, application guidance and answers to frequently asked questions are available at Cook County CARES.