Chamber News

In collaboration with the Department for Local Government (DLG), today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 22 Western Kentucky governments were approved for $14,905,621 in reimbursements from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for local governments with expenses related to COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for everyone and our local governments are no exception,” said Gov. Beshear. “These reimbursements from the CARES Act will help alleviate some of the strain on their budgets and ensure they can provide necessary services to our families.”

DLG Commissioner Dennis Keene expressed appreciation for local governments during unprecedented times.

“We appreciate everything our local governments have done during the pandemic to keep Kentuckians safe,” said Commissioner Keene. “And we are doing everything we can to ensure an efficient reimbursement process so our local governments can continue the fight against COVID-19.”

Calloway County
Calloway County will use $441,197 for PPE, thermometers, cleaning supplies, family and medical leave and first responder payroll.

Daviess County
Daviess County will use $1,456,424 for COVID-19 testing areas, PPE and its distribution, sanitizer, cleaning supplies, telework equipment, food delivery and sheriff’s department and fire department payroll.

“We have been able to procure personal protective equipment, items to insure public health and sanitation, assist in setting up testing sites and contribute to programs designed to deliver food to vulnerable populations,” said Daviess County Judge/Executive Al Mattingly. “Additionally, we plan to recover salaries of first responders who are on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thankful to Gov. Beshear for his support.”

Hardin County
Hardin County will use $1,154,159 for first responder payroll.

“These funds will help Hardin County EMS meet the increased demands in responding during this pandemic by helping with equipment, personal protection measures and personnel costs,” said Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry.

Hopkins County
Hopkins County will use $565,650 for COVID-19 testing sites, PPE, disinfectant, telework equipment, plexiglass partitions and sheriff’s department and first responder payroll.

“Providing for the needs of all citizens and each county department, while avoiding burdening the taxpayer with higher rates each year, can be a challenge even under the best of circumstances,” said Hopkins County Judge/Executive Jack Whitfield Jr. “Yet, no one could have predicted the economic impact COVID-19 would bring to our area. Many Hopkins County government offices underwent substantial changes this year, for example, we installed several transparent barriers to protect our employees and provide the safest environment possible for the public. We also incurred significant financial encumbrances through first responder salaries and the salaries of employees whose jobs we had to reassign during the pandemic. By recouping these losses through CARES Act funding, our local government has been able to continue to serve our residents with little to no interruption in service and at no cost to the taxpayer. For that, we are grateful to the Governor and the Department for Local Government to have received these funds and plan to keep Hopkins County running strong.”

Todd County
Todd County will use $195,579 for PPE, cleaning supplies, renovations to comply with social distancing, telework equipment, paid sick leave for quarantined employee and emergency responder payroll.

Beaver Dam
Beaver Dam will use $48,519 for PPE, sanitizing supplies and police department payroll.

“The CARES Act reimbursement is great for smaller communities like Beaver Dam,” said Beaver Dam Mayor Paul Sandefur. “We were able to purchase some additional personal safety equipment and supplies for the use of our city workers as well as our residents utilizing city services.”

Bonnieville
Bonnieville will use $2,053 for telework equipment, PPE, sanitizer and cleaning supplies.

“We have been able to purchase the necessary equipment for Zoom and webinar meetings and training and personal safety equipment,” said Bonnieville Mayor Dale Schoenbachler. “We are very thankful to Gov. Beshear for his support.”

Cadiz
Cadiz will use $191,631 for police department payroll.

Cave City
Cave City will use $175,164 for first responder payroll.

Central City
Central City will use $413,750 for police department payroll.

Fulton
Fulton will use $156,468 for cleaning supplies, protective barriers and first responder payroll.

Hartford
Hartford will use $63,558 for payroll expenses.

“We’re thankful for these funds as they will help pay for police officers’ payroll during this time of reduced income due to the coronavirus,” said Hartford Mayor George Chinn. “Gov. Beshear is to be appreciated for taking care of the communities of Kentucky dealing with difficult times. Our thanks to DLG for administering this huge task of overseeing distribution of those funds.”

Henderson
Henderson will use $1,388,800 for police and fire department payroll.

“CARES funding has been a lifesaver for the City of Henderson as it has allowed us to maintain staffing levels to provide essential services such as police and fire protection and trash collection. It has allowed us to keep our public transit system operating,” said Mayor Steve Austin. “We are grateful for the leadership that helped deliver this funding in a timely manner.”

Hopkinsville
Hopkinsville will use $2,230,969 for first responder payroll.

“The CARES Act funds will be a huge boost to our local economy and enable the City of Hopkinsville to provide much needed support where it’s needed most, and where it will have the greatest impact,” said Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch. “We really appreciate state government distributing these critical funds in such a manner that citizens across the commonwealth will benefit.”

Leitchfield
The city of Leitchfield will use $491,193 police and fire department payroll.

Lewisport
Lewisport will use $46,638 for police department payroll.

“The CARES Act funding will be a major help for our police department,” said Lewisport Mayor Chad Gregory. “We are grateful to Gov. Andy Beshear and DLG for providing this to our city.”

Mayfield
Mayfield will use $710,004 for first responder payroll.

Morton’s Gap
Morton’s Gap will use $8,824 for PPE, thermometers, cleaning supplies, telework equipment and payroll expenses.

Muldraugh
Muldraugh will use $60,951 for police department payroll.

“On behalf of the City of Muldraugh, I want to thank Gov. Beshear for remembering the local governments during the pandemic,” said Muldraugh Mayor Joseph E. Noon Sr. “The CARES Act funds we have applied for are being used for payroll expenses for our police department. With the anticipation of a loss in revenue due to COVID-19, the funds will insure our police department will be able to continue servicing the deserving citizens and businesses in Muldraugh. I want to thank the hard working DLG employees who have went above and beyond to assist local governments with the application process.”

Oak Grove
Oak Grove will use $480,723 for police department payroll.

Owensboro
Owensboro will use $4,300,651 for first responder payroll.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to participate in all eligible, reimbursable expenses, like the salaries of our first responders,” said Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson.

Scottsville
Scottsville will use $322,716 for police department payroll.

Since the application was released in May, DLG has received approximately 300 applications from city and county governments across the commonwealth. Two hundred and eight local governments have been approved for reimbursement, totaling more than $106 million.

For additional information and to apply for reimbursement, visit DLG’s website.

More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov and the state’s response to COVID-19 at kycovid19.ky.gov.