Title
RESOLUTION CONCERNING DISTRIBUTION OF CARES ACT FUNDING
Body
WHEREAS, in late 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) occurred in China and quickly spread across the globe, reaching pandemic status; and
WHEREAS, realizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government appropriated funding for state and local governments in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 27, 2020; and
WHEREAS, these emergency federal resources provide flexibility to state and local governments as they grapple to respond to emerging service needs for their communities and citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois General Assembly convened from May 20, 2020 to May 23, 2020 in a special session to conduct the conclusion of the Spring legislative session; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly adopted SB 1805, which addressed the allocation of CARES Act funding to local units of government; and
WHEREAS, the bill provided that CARES Act funding would be distributed through a program entitled the “Local Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency (“Local CURE”) program which will be allotted to municipalities and counties based on proportionate population; and
WHEREAS, the bill further provided that “units of local government, or portions thereof, located within the five Illinois Counties that received direct allotments from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund will not be included in the support program allotments;” and
WHEREAS, the five counties receiving direct allotments from the CARES Act include Cook and Will Counties, and therefore, municipalities in these counties, including the Village of Orland Park, will not be eligible for a per capita distribution of CARES Act funding from the state; and
WHEREAS, as of June 1, 2020 the counties of Cook and Will have not distributed any allotments from the CARES Act, nor have they developed or communicated a plan to distribute those allotments; and
WHEREAS, by precluding units of local government in these areas from receiving federal financing assistance, the Illinois General Assembly has obstructed the positive impacts of the CARES Act; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Village President and the Board of Trustees to continue to advocate for the residents and businesses in the Village of Orland Park.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Village President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park, Cook and Will Counties, Illinois, as follows:
SECTION 1
The above recitals are incorporated by reference into this Section 1 and made a part hereof as though fully set forth herein.
SECTION 2
The Village President and Board of Trustees of the Village hereby resolve to make all efforts to encourage the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor of Illinois to take all possible action to ensure that CARES Act funding is distributed to units of local government across the state on a per capita basis, to ensure that all units of local government are treated fairly and have access to federal government funding to fuel their recovery.
SECTION 3
The Village President and Board of Trustees of the Village hereby resolve to make all efforts to encourage the Cook County and Will County Boards to take all possible action to ensure that CARES Act funding is distributed to units of local government on a per capita basis, to ensure that all units of local government are treated fairly and have access to government funding to fuel their recovery.
SECTION 4
The various provisions of this Resolution are to be considered as severable, and if any part or portion of this Resolution shall be held invalid by any Court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Resolution.
SECTION 5
All ordinances, resolutions, motions or parts thereof in conflict with this Resolution shall be and the same are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
SECTION 6
This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption as provided by law.