Gwinnett County cities are getting an additional $20 million in coronavirus relief funds, a figure that was increased by $5 million following negotiations between government leaders.
The county had originally pledged $5 million to the 16 cities over the summer, with the intention of making more money available once expenses were better understood. Last month, the offer increased by an additional $15 million before county officials agreed to a total distribution of $25 million, divided between the cities by population.
The funds represent a portion of the $163.4 million in CARES Act money Gwinnett received from the federal government. Other cities in the four metro Atlanta counties that got direct distributions have pushed for more funds from county governments; elsewhere in Georgia, money was distributed to all local governments by the state, which followed a federal formula based on population.
Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said she appreciated the cities “working with us to reach a mutually agreed upon amount and method for allocating” the money.
Representatives from several Gwinnett cities said they were happy with the negotiations.
A spokesperson for Peachtree Corners — which will receive $4.7 million, the largest amount of any city in Gwinnett — described the conversations as open and fair.
Snellville Mayor Barbara Bender, whose city is getting $2.1 million, said the money will go a long way toward ensuring workers are safe. She touted it as another example of cooperation between Gwinnett and its' cities through the coronavirus pandemic.
“We were able to get together and outline our concerns originally, and I think the county understood that,” said Lawrenceville City Manager Chuck Warbington.
He anticipated the city’s $3.3 million might be augmented if other cities aren’t able to fully spend their allotments by Dec. 1, when any unspent funds will be redistributed.
In Suwanee, City Manager Marty Allen said he was pleased with the $2.2 million his city would receive. The discussion about the cities' share “certainly wasn’t what we heard about in Fulton County and some of the other locations,” he said.
“We demonstrated what our needs were,” he said.
The cities are approving agreements with the county and will be eligible for reimbursements once those agreements are signed. Cities can also decide not to accept the funds.
The additional $5 million for which the cities negotiated comes at the expense of a plan that would have created a fund for childcare aid. The county is still looking at other ways to make money available for increased childcare costs.
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