Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday that $200 million in grants will be distributed to every county and city government across Tennessee for one-time, local expenses in fiscal year 2021, according to a news release from Lee’s office. One-time expenses related to COVID-19 are eligible.
“Capital maintenance, public safety and road projects don’t pause for disasters like the March tornadoes and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lee said. “This grant fund will ease the burden on local governments as they work to meet infrastructure and safety obligations.”
The release said funding is based on population as published by the US Census Bureau. Each county will receive at least $500,000, and each city or municipality will receive at least $30,000. The three Metro governments (Davidson, Moore and Trousdale) will receive one allocation, whichever is largest. The application will be made available by April 30, 2020, and the funds will be made available after July 1, 2020.
Funds may be used for road projects, I.T. upgrades, capital maintenance, utility system upgrades, and public safety projects, the release said. Certain disaster-related expenses are also eligible for funding.
The release said one-time expenses related to COVID-19 are eligible including supply and equipment purchase, cleaning, emergency food and shelter programs. Counties impacted by the March 2020 tornadoes including Benton, Carroll, Davidson, Gibson, Putnam, Smith, and Wilson counties may also use the funds for tornado relief efforts.
Additional information on the application and appropriation process is by clicking the following link: Governors-Local-Support-Grants-Overview.
Click this link 21Cities-Final to see how much grant money will be allocated to each city and click this link 21Counties-Final to see how much grant money will be allocated to each county in Tennessee.