County to distribute $1.5 million in federal aid

This funding is a portion of the $350 million distributed as relief funding for Ohio. The funds can only be used for unexpected expenditures incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic after March 1, 2020. Examples of this include purchase of face masks and hand sanitizer for employees. However, anything already budgeted for, such as standard cleaning, will not be accepted.

Funds will be distributed to various jurisdictions in the county after the legislative bodies pass a resolution requesting the funding. A handful of resolutions have been received, Thompson reported. The amount per jurisdiction was decided with a formula approved by the Athens County Budget Commission.