FLEMINGTON, NJ – A recent freeholder discussion on steps for the state government to reimburse Hunterdon County for COVID-19 pandemic-related costs turned into a discussion on the countywide economic outlook and the future of COVID-19 testing, with associated expenses, for an area of western New Jersey which did not qualify for allocations of federal CARES Act funding in spring due to being among a dozen counties statewide with populations of under 500,000.
Freeholder J. Matthew Holt spoke about the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) grant program with direct assistance for small businesses (Emergency grant program) expanding the award amount from $5,000 to $10,000. Many applications from Hunterdon businesses were unfunded in the first round of emergency pandemic assistance from the state, and NJEDA recently announced the use of $15.3 million from the Federal CARES act funding going to the 12 New Jersey counties that did not receive direct allocations of initial CARES Act funding to New Jersey from the federal government.
The CARES Act established a $150 billion coronavirus relief fund to cover expenditures incurred during the public health emergency during the period of March 1 through Dec. 30, 2020. Counties with populations over 500,000 were originally earmarked for funds, so Hunterdon was not a recipient based on its lower population.
Holt said that while approximately 70 businesses in the county received initial funding through the NJEDA program, “there were many applications from Hunterdon businesses that went unfunded.”
He said he believes those businesses not receiving aid before may be in luck.
“Assistance is meant to help small businesses in New Jersey weather this storm of COVID-19, and the NJEDA did implement several programs this year meant to provide direct assistance to businesses,” he said. “That included two rounds of grant funding through the Small Business Emergency Assistance grant program. Phase II does significantly expand the pool of eligible businesses, and it increases the amount to businesses from $5,000 to $10,000. Hunterdon businesses that applied for the funding but did not receive it might now see their original Phase II application funded, which would be great news. I advise that companies that already applied won’t have to take any new action for the process, but I also advise them to make sure and check this out on their own.”
Holt thanked the current freeholder board, other Hunterdon County elected officials and freeholders in the other 11 counties statewide that did not receive direct CARES Act funding for their advocacy on behalf of businesses and the people they employ.
Deputy Freeholder Director Sue Soloway commented on the impacts that area landlords face because renters received state and federal relief from being evicted as so many have lost income due to business closures and layoffs.
“Landlords, particularly of small rental properties, are not receiving the payments needed to pay their mortgages or taxes and to cover costs,” she said. “In some instances, rent payments were counted on as income by many older county residents who planned on that as part of their retirement income. The county Department of Human Services announced a new state program to try to help landlords that own small rental properties. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency is administering the Small Landlord Emergency Grant program, and will provide funding to small property owners for COVID-19-related decreases in their rent revenue, over the four month period of April to July 2020. Funding comes from the federal government’s CARES Act signed into law by President Donald Trump in March.”
The freeholders also ratified a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and New Jersey Department of Health, for receipt of funding for COVID-19 testing and reimbursement for existing COVID-19 expenses.
County administrator Kevin Davis explained that Gov. Phil Murphy’s office is seeking the MOA’s approval for the CARES Act funding to reimburse the county for a portion of its health and emergency management costs and expenditures related to COVID-19 pandemic emergency response and established increased COVID-19 testing (at the Medical Center on Rt. 31).
The 12 New Jersey counties shut out of federal funding with the initial CARES Act allocation are the targeted recipients of the current proposal.
Freeholder Director Shaun C. Van Doren said that while there are many positives involved and he supports the Memorandum of Agreement with the state, he’s really disappointed “that no state funds are being directed to the 12 counties for distribution to businesses to help offset losses related to the pandemic.”
“I know that in counties with a population of over $500,000, state-allocated funds are being used in that fashion,” he said. “I’m also disappointed that there was no funding included for distribution to our municipalities which have also been hit with major emergency response expenditures. This remains a matter I intend to look into further.”
Davis noted that the federal initiative provided the Governor with $275 million to be distributed to jurisdictions that did not qualify for direct grants.
“This MOA is a major accomplishment, and it reimburses Hunterdon County for a portion of expenditures made for our emergency health response and to establish increased COVID-19 testing,” Holt said. “As with the push that brought about the initial CARES Act funding for local businesses, NJEDA grants, the members of this Board of Chosen Freeholders deserve the recognition as we continue to press Gov. Murphy’s office, state legislators and New Jersey’s federal representatives to deliver a fair share of those CARES funds to Hunterdon County, and to do so because it helps pay for the costs of responding to the pandemic that were denied to us because of our population being under 500,000 people. A lot of fiscal accountability work still has to be done to ensure that Hunterdon County receives its fullest reimbursement and there’s health planning work that has to be done for the county to qualify for additional testing funds, but I have the utmost confidence in our county health department and staff to meet the requirements and they will work to bring back as much reimbursement as possible to our county’s coffers.”
Van Doren noted the state is finally moving forward on the distribution of CARES Act funds which they’ve had since April. He said it’s not a matter of the state writing a check to Hunterdon County, but the county must use the bulk of this funding it would receive for an expanded COVID-19 testing program going forward, “and we must meet the accountability standards set forth by the state and federal governments.”
Van Doren said the freeholders and county administration is most appreciative of the Flemington-based Hunterdon Medical Group’s participation for the COVID-19 joint testing site now in operation at the Medical Center off Rt. 31.
“It is our hope that with additional state funding, our testing program can be expanded,” he said.
Davis noted that the pandemic-related expenditures to be potentially reimbursed include Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); COVID-19 testing costs; county employee overtime and equipment purchases; cleaning materials and services; funding to support Hunterdon County’s COVID-19 test site operations with an expanded constituency; and other costs not covered by FEMA reimbursement.
“The county will be developing a testing plan to be reviewed by the New Jersey Department of Health in order to qualify for the testing funds,” he said. “The new testing proposal, should it be approved by the state, would be offered to residents of Hunterdon County and also those who work in the county.”
Doren noted that testing is only one step in the process, the other is contact tracing.
“Hunterdon County’s public health nurses and Department of Health staff have done an excellent job in implementing contact tracing,” he said. “The county Department of Health will also be responsible for developing the testing proposal that needs to be submitted to the state. I have full confidence in their abilities to put together an approvable plan.”
Soloway said the county’s public health nurses continue the contact tracing workload which began in March, simultaneous with the initial spike in cases, and there is no backlog of contact tracing work at this time.
“Thanks to their exceptional work, Hunterdon County continues to have one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 infections and transmissions in the state,” she said. “All members of the Hunterdon County health staff pitched in to assist with the former COVID-19 Joint County Testing Site, run together with Somerset County at Raritan Valley Community College (from April through early July), providing support at the site and filling in when colleagues were unavailable for various reasons stemming from the pandemic. The Health Department continues to work cooperatively with Hunterdon Medical Group for our joint testing site at the medical center.”
