Effective midnight tonight, the John Wayne classic “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon” will have new meaning as most of Utah will transition from orange to yellow. The exceptions that will continue as orange for at least another week are Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Grand County, Summit County, and Wasatch County.
Today’s email will also update you on progress this week on the first distribution of CARES Act dollars to local governments for “necessary expenditures,” outline the federal HEROES Act and potential impact on local governments, announce next week’s town halls (Economic Impact on Monday, Lt. Governor Cox on Tuesday), link to last week’s town halls and resources, and spotlight the new leadership of the Utah City Management Association.
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Legislative Advocacy
CARES Act
On Wednesday, ULCT Director of Policy Wayne Bradshaw and Senior Policy Analyst Roger Tew testified to the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC) about the distribution of the local government portion of the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. It was recommended all local government allocations be distributed through a population-based model which is consistent with how Congress initially allocated the dollars. For the State’s $246 million available to local governments, ULCT recommended a direct distribution to each municipality based on population initially with each allocation divided into three tranches to be distributed over the summer and early fall.
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The first allocation will be sent as early as June to each county and city and town outside of Salt Lake and Utah Counties to cover expenses covered under the CARES Act and Treasury guidance. For cities and towns in Salt Lake and Utah Counties, negotiations on distribution are still ongoing. When more information becomes available we will update the membership.
The remaining two tranches may be distributed based on population, unless it is determined that changes need to be made to the formula according to “hot spots” or other needs, recognizing that we should strive for highest and best use of limited dollars. Counties, cities, and towns will be expected to indemnify the State in order to receive their state-based allocation. They also will be required to repay any funds not used according to federal legislation and guidance. We will meet soon with state leaders soon to discuss the actual distribution mechanism.
The document provided to EAC outlining the process, distribution formula, and outstanding questions can be found by clicking on the tab.
HEROES Act
On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives introduced the $3 trillion HEROES Act which would provide relief to individuals, businesses, states, and local governments. Specifically for local governments, the bill provides $375 billion to be split 50/50 between counties and cities. For cities, the allocation would be divided between cities who are entitled to receive CDBG dollars and cities who are not entitled to CDBG. The allocation would be over two years. The bill would modify the uses of the CARES Act, provide rent assistance, broadband investment, public safety grants, and transit grants, enhance tax credits to keep workers on payroll, and expands the paid sick and family leave credits from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to include local governments. As of this writing, the US House has not yet voted on the CARES Act. While ULCT has not taken an official position on HEROES and we expect the Senate to draft their own bill soon, our Board of Directors will discuss on Monday our federal advocacy around direct assistance to cities.
Spotlight
In our spotlight today, ULCT highlights the new officers and board of the Utah City/County Management Association. The new leadership was elected earlier this month. We're pleased to work so closely with UCMA and congratulate all!
Spencer Kyle (South Jordan), President
Ben Reeves (Santaquin), Past President
Erin Wells (Highland), Vice President
David Larson (South Weber), Secretary
Owen Jackson (Saratoga Springs), Treasurer
Brenn Bybee (Orem), Board Member & Education Chair
Gary Hill (Bountiful), Board Member & Legislative Chair
Shane Pace (Farmington), Board Member
David Zook (Nibley), Board Member
Kyle Laws (West Point), Board Member
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ULCT Upcoming Events
ULCT's Town Hall for Local Leaders
Monday- 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Monday's webinar will look at the trending economic data, tax projections, and impacts on cities and towns as well as tourism and impact on state parks and surrounding communities. Panelists will include:
- Juliette Tennert, Director of Economic and Public Policy Research, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
- ULCT's Roger Tew, Senior Policy Advisor and former Utah State Tax Commissioner
- Vicki Varela, Managing Director of the Utah Office of Tourism
Tuesday- 4:00 - 4:45 pm
Lt. Governor Spencer Cox will provide an update on what the transition to yellow means for most cities and towns in Utah and what the data is analyzed for in communities as the risk assessment is made. He will also answer your questions. Please submit the questions in the chat box or you can submit your question in writing by noon Monday by clicking here.
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Resources and Training
ULCT has gathered resources that are relevant to you and your community, including:
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The Newstand
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