Alcorn Weighs In On CARES Act Funding

RESTON, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved both the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Markup and the Fiscal Year 2020 third quarter review, during a virtual meeting Tuesday morning.

Each of the supervisors, with the exception of Chairman Jeff McKay, participated remotely via videoconferencing in order to practice social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. McKay was chairing the meeting from a meeting room at the Fairfax County Government Center.

The FY 2020 third quarter review set aside $11 million for the County’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. It also included recommendations on how the $200 million in stimulus funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Coronavirus Relief Fund should be allocated.

County Executive Bryan Hill submitted the review on April 29, and offered his recommendations for the Board's approval.

The allocations included:

• $20 million for the county's nonprofit partners
• $5 million for the county's nonprofit sustainability fund
• $35,000 for Volunteer Fairfax
• $1.7 million in federal/state emergency solutions grant from HUD to provide emergency shelter capacity for the county's homeless population
• $3.5 million community development bloc grants to provide emergency rent and utility assistance for families who have lost income.

As part of the CARES Act allocations, the following nonprofits, which serve Great Falls, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Herndon, Vienna, and Tysons, will received additional funding:

• Cornerstones - $1,800,000
• Herndon-Reston Fish - $1,800,000
• CHO - $200,000
• Share of McLean - $200,000

The allocations also provided funding for operational and administrative support for affordable housing providers and to purchase PPE, increase county staffing, and upgrade technology.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn had recommended the need for additional funding to upgrade the county's technology in order to handle the increase of data that would need to be processed as contact tracing due to the coronavirus ramps up.

"I think the most important thing to Supervisor Alcorn's point, we now have data. We know where we have to ramp up efforts," McKay said. "The one data point that we don't have and all of us wish sitting here today did have is the end date for this pandemic. None of us know what that is. And so, while we would've like to have put all $200 million out on the street on day one, we have guarantees of any additional state or federal support, and we have to make sure we stretch these dollars through various phases of the pandemic."

During Tuesday's meeting, Alcorn said he anticipated additional funds being use to help the county's small businesses and most vulnerable communities. He saw one group in particular as being particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, and therefore in greater need of the county's attention.

"Latinos represent 55 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County even though they represent only 16 percent of the population," he said, in a statement. "And why is this? Is it because many of these Latinos are doing the front line/low paid work in our long-term care facilities, are working multiple jobs, or live in homes where quarantine and social isolation are unrealistic? We have an obligation to dedicate all necessary public health resources to stop the spread of the virus in our jurisdiction, and in Fairfax County stopping COVID starts with the Latino community. There has never been a more direction application of the One Fairfax policy — how much we help the Latino community during the coming months will drive how healthy we are as a county, and how fast we can resume normal economic activity."

See also ...

New Fairfax County Budget Proposal Reflects Impact Of Coronavirus

Alcorn: County Should Help Small Businesses Hit By Coronavirus

Real Estate Tax Hike, Admission Tax In Fairfax's Proposed Budget