MORGANTOWN — The COVID-19 relief bill signed Thursday by President Joe Biden goes well beyond direct aid checks to individuals and families.
It will also mean more than $35 million for local governments here in Monongalia County, as part of $677 million in funding for cities and counties across the state.
Monongalia County will receive an estimated $20.48 million.
As for the municipalities, Morgantown is listed at $10.65 million, followed by Westover ($1.74 million), Granville ($1.31 million), Star City ($810,000), and Blacksville ($70,000).
Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom participated in a Wednesday evening meeting held remotely with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and city and county leaders from across the state.
“I’m ecstatic that the money is coming directly to local government without interference from Charleston,” Bloom said. “The funding is going directly to the counties.”
According to information disseminated in advance of Manchin’s call, the funds cannot be used to shore up pension funds or fill budget holes unrelated to the pandemic.
The funds will be distributed in two payments, the first coming within 60 days of the president’s signature and the remainder roughly one year later.
Bloom said the commission has two initial projects in mind.
The first would be getting the entire county broadband internet access.
The commission is in the process of selecting a consulting firm to help figure out the best way to go about that. There’s also the potential that the state could assist with those efforts as the relief package includes $138 million for broadband and $2 million for hotspots statewide.
The second, Bloom said, would be to look into the construction of a new home for MECCA 911 and the county’s office of emergency management.
“It also opens up the possibility of the cities and Mon County doing a project together,” Bloom said. “We’re allowed to combine funds for a mutual project. I think that’s something we could look at.”
Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy said there have been no decisions made as to how the city will put its funds to use.
“City administration only recently learned of the funding amount it is expected to receive. As you know, the legislation dictates what the funds can be used for. City administration is reviewing the legislation to determine how the funds can be used to maximize its benefit to our citizens,” Stacy said.
All told, the relief bill is expected to deliver at least $4 billion to West Virginia, including the aid for individuals and small businesses.
That number includes $1.25 billion to the state directly, as well as funding for vaccines ($11 million), education ($990 million), child care ($270 million), senior programs ($9 million), rental assistance ($152 million), transportation ($32 million) and veterans’ nursing homes ($2.2 million).
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