Cobb County this month spent the last of its federal CARES Act dollars on public safety, closing out its $133 million stimulus account after nearly two years.
The $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, better known as the CARES Act, was the first federal stimulus package passed in March 2020 in response to the pandemic. It included $150 billion for local governments to spend on pandemic-related expenses.
The largest share of Cobb’s funding – $49 million – went to small businesses and nonprofits to help them weather the economic shutdowns that followed, according to a final tally of spending provided to the AJC by county officials.
County commissioners in December agreed to spend the final $1.7 million it had left on salaries and overtime for law enforcement and firefighters, bringing the total spent on public safety personnel to $24 million. Another $24 million was split among other county departments for efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Social services received smaller shares of the pie. School assistance programs received $11 million, while $9 million was spent on housing and rental assistance. Food assistance programs received $2 million, while the county’s public health department received just under $2 million. Job training programs received less than $900,000.
About $10 million went to cities, which spent most of their funding on public safety, small business grants and health and safety equipment.
More federal aid is on the way. Cobb is set to receive the second half of its $148 million allocation under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act in March 2022.
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