Federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act, totaling nearly $41 million, will be used in a variety of different ways as decided recently by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.
About $39 million will be used in the county’s FY2022 budget in these ways:
- $12.6 million for public health
- $10 million for revenue replacement
- $6 million for services to disproportionately impacted communities
- $5.58 million for infrastructure
- $4.6 million for negative economic impact
- $212,500 for administrative
- $69,261 for premium pay
An estimated $936,996 in federal ARPA funds will be given to eligible, certified public safety personnel for one-time $1,000 aid to eligible full-time public safety employees and $300 for volunteer firefighters who worked any day through August 2021. The county’s allocation includes Cherokee County School District police since the county is the fiscal agent for that agency.
Another $789,936 will be spent on one-time retention bonuses for nonpublic safety employees, using county-allocated ARPA funds. The retention bonuses are $1,000 for full-time employees and $300 for part-time employees. Cherokee County has experienced an average turnover rate of 15.28% (13.25% in public safety and 18.66% in nonpublic safety positions). The total cost for 672 full-time employees and 206 part-time employees - plus 7.65% FICA/Medicare for each employee - is $789,936.
For information, visit cherokeega.com.
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