LIHU‘E — As of the end of September, the County of Kaua‘i has spent about 66% of its state-allocated federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds.
Between August and September, the county had spent $919,915.56, including $500,000 for small-business grants and $100,000 for the Rise to Work program that has hired displaced workers into paid employment.
The county received $28,715,55 in CARES Act funds, a sub-recipient of the state’s $862.8 million. These federal funds have a Dec. 30 expiration date.
The county has expended $13,982,533 and earmarked $4,953,883 for $18,936,416 spent or to be spent. The county has a remaining balance of $9,779,135 to be used in the next two months.
Not included in these figures is the purchasing for the voluntary post-arrival test kits, hiring staff to offer these tests to residents and an awareness campaign, Project Manager and Compliance Officer Nicholas Courson said Tuesday. The county purchased 15,000 rapid, same-day, COVID-19 tests for $1 million being used for its post-arrival testing.
The county split up its CARES Act funds into 21 different subsections, offering nonprofits six different areas ranging from food support to agriculture assistance to transforming tourism.
Nonprofits spent $1,679,523.10 in September, the majority by agriculture-focused projects. Since July, nonprofits have spent a total of $3,707,655.83.
To be included in the next report are leftover funds allocated for food support and retrofitted isolation vehicles being moved to the unspent fund.
“In other words, those projects were not scrapped, but their remaining balances were moved,” Courson said.
Last month, it was reported a tiny-home construction for houseless shelter and digital equity infrastructure were deemed unfeasible in the time frame allowed to use this money, and funds for county-wide, hand-hygiene stations were reallocated after needs were met with existing departmental funds.
Additionally, the county’s Office of Economic Development saw an injection of $200,000 from the redistributed funds into the Rise to Work program.
Due to an unallocated $906,324, the majority going toward “Various Departmental Labor Costs,” the county reported $27,809,227 as budgeted to the state. By the end of October, those funds will be fully placed.
“That balance will show in the next report as those funds should be fully budgeted by the end of October,” Courson said.
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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.
