CARES money will help cover utility customers

Appalachia has received nearly $3,200 in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding.

During its Jan. 21 meeting, town council unanimously approved use of the grant for the town’s utilities customers. In a letter sent to the town from the state Department of Housing and Community Development is a list of guidelines the town must follow to certify the receipt of the funds.
Those guidelines state that “the intent is for this allocation to pass through the county or city directly to the municipal utility to serve all eligible Virginia municipal customers . . . customer attestations of the COVID-19 hardship must be obtained and saved by the utility relief program before forgiving arrearages.”

Also, any funds that will not be expended on necessary expenditures incurred before Dec. 31 must be returned by that day. “The Commonwealth of Virginia is entitles to invoke State Aid Intercept to recover any such unexpended funds.”

Up to 5 percent of the funding may be used for administrative costs to support the management of the utility relief program.

“As a condition of receiving the Coronavirus Relief Funds pursuant to the this certification, the city or county on behalf of the municipal utility system shall retain documentation of all uses of the funds, including but not limited to payroll time records, invoices, direct administrative cost and/or sales receipts,” according to the guidelines.

Town Manager Fred Luntsford stated that as of Wednesday, 18 residents have benefitted from the program. According to Luntsford, the town sent out approximately 40 letters to residents on Jan. 26 offering town utility assistance.