Department of City Manager’s Office
Reference: Letter to Federal Legislators
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Marv Falconburg, Acting City Manager
Prepared By: Nicole Samson, Strategic Initiatives & Governmental Affairs Manager
Date Prepared: April 7, 2020
PURPOSE
For Council to consider sending a letter to Senator Bennet, Senator Gardner, and Representative Crow asking for their support to encourage the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Justice, and others who will be writing reimbursement guidelines for the CARES Act, and other Federal programs to include key COVID-19 response activities as eligible for reimbursement.
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA
Safe, Active and Engaged Community
Financially Responsible
Strong Regional Relationships and Partnerships
BACKGROUND
In just the two-and-a-half weeks since the President declared a national emergency under the Stafford Act, the City of Brighton has incurred over $78,000 in COVID response expenditures. This amount could increase dramatically over the course of the year and it does not include costs for fire and ambulance services as those are run through the Brighton Fire District. While the City staff are diligently exploring reimbursement options to cover costs to keep community members safe, such as grant funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Health and Human Services Department, U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the CARES Act, the staff are finding that the bulk of our costs necessary to maintain social distancing mandates and ensure continuity of operations for essential functions are not currently covered as eligible expenses for grant funding.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Should the Federal agencies allow municipalities to receive grant reimbursements for a variety of pandemic-specific activities, the City will be able to recoup the costs of actions the City of Brighton has taken to ensure the wellbeing, health, and safety of our community.
OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
• Approve the letter as is or with minor changes and request the staff to send the letter.
• Request staff to make changes to the letter and bring back to the next Council meeting.
• Decide not to send the letter.
ATTACHMENTS
Letter to Legislators