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The Pittsburg City Commission held a special meeting Tuesday, May 19, 2020, to address the application processes necessary to access funds for local businesses and meal programs in the city. The funds are allocated from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The City intends to apply for assistance from the CARES Act under the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG-CV). More than $9 million in federal funding has been made available to the program to support community responses to the COVID-19 crisis.
Commissioners voted to adopt Resolution No. 1234, which certifies legal authority and authorization for the city to apply for funding through the CDBG-CV, administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The city is applying for $400,000; of which $300,000 would be made available for local businesses affected by the coronavirus, and $100,000 would be made available for meal programs in the community.
The CDBG-CV is a first-come, first-served grant opportunity, recently made available to local governments. One of the grant requirements is a public hearing, which will be held at the Pittsburg Law Enforcement Center court room, 201 N. Pine St., Pittsburg, KS, at 2 p.m. Friday, May 22. Members of the public may call (620) 230-5150 to speak under the public hearing remotely or attend in person. The court room will be limited to 15 people at a time, per mass gathering guidelines.
The funding can be used to help local businesses retain jobs for low-to-moderate income people. Grant money can be used for expenses such as working capital (e.g., wages, utilities, rent) or to purchase up to 60 days of inventory needed to reopen, once allowed to reopen.
Meal program grants provide communities with funds for various programs that provide access to nutritious foods during the COVID-19 crisis, particularly programs supporting children. These funds are aimed to assist non-profits in Pittsburg like Wesley House and The Lords Diner.
Commissioners also approved a staff recommendation to enter into an agreement for Administrative Consulting Services with the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission (SEKRPC) in relation to the grant funding through the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response Supplement (CDBG-CV). The SEKRPC are familiar with the administrative skills needed to promptly navigate the grant writing processes necessary to access the funds. The City agrees to pay the Administrative Consultant the sum $15,000 for these services.
The Pittsburg City Commission meets for regularly scheduled meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. inside the Beard-Shanks Law Enforcement Center courtroom. Members of the public are encouraged to watch these meetings remotely. City commission meetings are broadcast live on the City’s local government access channels (Cox channel 6 and Craw-Kan channel 406) and on YouTube. To subscribe to the City’s YouTube channel, go to http://www.pittks.org/youtube. To learn more about the Pittsburg city government, city commissioners, or to view meeting agendas and minutes, visit pittks.org/city-government/city-commission. For more information the public can contact the City Clerk’s office at 252-4850.