Cook County to receive over $1 million from stimulus package

Cook County is set to receive just over $1 million from the recently passed federal COVID relief package.
 
Nearly $5 billion will flow to Minnesota governments as part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, including $2.1 billion for local governments statewide. Tribal communities across the country were scheduled to receive approximately $20 billion in aid.
 
The National Association of Counties estimates that Cook County will receive something in the neighborhood of $1,068,000, according to County Administrator James Joerke.
 
Allowable uses of the funds would include:
 
1.   Respond to or mitigate the public health emergency with respect to the COVID-19 emergency or its negative economic impacts.
 
2.   Cover costs incurred as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
 
3.   Replace revenue that was lost, delayed or decreased as determined based on projections of the government as of January 27, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
 
4.   Address negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 disease.
 
WTIP will continue to follow when the stimulus money arrives to Cook County and how it is spent. Meanwhile, many local residents will be receiving $1,400 stimulus checks as part of the relief package. Those checks are expected to arrive soon, possibly by this weekend in some cases, according to federal officials.
 
It was a busy week for local government in Cook County. WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Joerke about a number of topics pertinent to Cook County, including new cases of COVID-19 in the community, the potential for a hazardous wildfire season in spring and early summer and discussions at the Capitol in St. Paul connected to local businesses and county government.
 
The audio below is their full conversation from March 10.