Republican Majority Office of the

Monroe County Legislature

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Bridget Harvey
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 PHONE: (585) 753-1922

REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS SUBMIT LEGISLATION

TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS FOR COVID-19 RELATED COSTS
Legislation will provide financial relief to local taxpayers
County should continue longstanding practice of sharing resources

Members of the Republican Majority Caucus of the Monroe County Legislature, led
by Majority Leader Steve Brew and President Dr. Joe Carbone, today proposed
legislation to financially support the City of Rochester, Towns, Villages, School Districts,
and Fire Districts in Monroe County. The submitted legislation would authorize the
County to enter into intermunicipal agreements with other local governments to
reimburse them for costs directly related to the community response to COVID-19.

“From the onset, the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been community-
based, with all levels of government working together to best protect the
community,” said Brew. “Many municipalities, school districts, and fire districts have
gone beyond expectations – often at an increased cost. The legislation we are proposing
would provide much-needed relief to our municipalities and help alleviate the burden
facing local taxpayers.”

Last month, the Monroe County Legislature accepted $129 million in federal CARES Act
funding to aid the community response to COVID-19. According to guidelines issued by
the United States Department of Treasury, Monroe County can share these funds with
municipal partners to cover authorized COVID-19 related expenses. Despite the
County’s projected deficit of $122 million, the Treasury Department prohibits the
County from using the funds to fill revenue shortfalls.

“Monroe County has a long-standing tradition of sharing resources and services with our
local government partners,” said Carbone. “I’ve talked with Town Supervisors and other
local elected officials, and it is clear they are facing financial hardships. Looking towards
the future and phased re-openings, there will be new and unforeseen expenses facing
local governments. These funds provide them with the resources they need to safely
provide essential services to residents.”

The below supporting quotes were provided by local municipal officials.

Town Supervisor Bill Reilich, Town of Greece

“The Federal Government passed legislation making a provision for the local towns and
municipalities to share in the CARES relief funding. We hope the Monroe County Executive
has a plan in place for equitable distribution for all the communities in Monroe County.
Greece, not unlike any other community, is facing the same fiscal issues as municipalities
throughout the country. This funding was the federal government’s offering of assistance
that they have entrusted in the hands of counties to distribute.”
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May 13, 2020
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Mayor John Alfieri, Town/Village of East Rochester

“We are one community, and the sharing of these funds is crucial to the survival of towns
and villages throughout Monroe County. The Town/Village of East Rochester continues to
incur costs that we never could have budgeted. Additionally, we employ a number of
everyday heroes that are entitled to the same hazard pay many County employees are
receiving.”

Town Supervisor Ciaran Hanna, Town of Perinton

"The Town of Perinton has already incurred tens of thousands of dollars in extra expenses
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That number will continue to grow as we reopen to the
public and implement several layers of safety precautions to keep the public and our
employees safe. The CARES funding would help offset those extra expenses, which is vital
as we, like so many other communities, face additional costs on top of losses in revenue
due to the pandemic. Each year, the Town of Perinton carefully budgets each dollar, and
the result has been one of the lowest tax rates in the County. We hope to continue that
trend, and any additional funding from the federal government will certainly help."

Commissioner Pat Connors, Chairwoman of the Brockport Fire District

“Brockport Fire District is committed to working collaboratively with our partners in
government to serve the best interests of our residents,” said Pat Connors, Brockport Fire
Commissioner. “After discussion with other local leaders, a recurring theme we are seeing
is a need for fiscal support to bolster our efforts now, as well as in the future during
phased re-openings. We thank the Monroe County Legislature for anticipating this need
for support and look forward to continuing to work together to help our community in these
challenging times, and beyond.”

Town Supervisor Linda Dobson, Town of Wheatland

“All towns, no matter how big or small, are facing financial challenges due to the COVID-
19 crisis. As we look towards reopening services, there will be additional safeguards
needed to ensure those services can be safely delivered to residents. Those safeguards
come at an added cost. I am thankful to Legislator Brew for advancing this legislation to
help the Town of Wheatland.”

Commissioner Jim Turner, St. Paul Boulevard Fire District

“All local municipalities, including fire districts, are expecting a significant budget impact
due to COVID-19. We appreciate the County acknowledging the additional burden fire
districts have taken on to keep our community safe, as well as the need for support to
sustain this response, while also keeping taxpayers in mind. In these uncertain times, we
are grateful for cooperation and collaboration with our government partners.”

To date, the Legislature is aware that approximately $12 million of the $129 million in
CARES Act funds have been spent on various items, including PPE, hazard pay, payroll
expenses, and other service-related contracts. It would be the responsibility of each
municipality to track and submit authorized expenses to the County for approval. None
of the local government units within Monroe County were eligible to receive these funds
directly from the federal government as they do not meet the 500,000 population
minimum.

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