There are hundreds of thousands of dollars in unclaimed COVID-19 relief money for several villages in the region.
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos is highlighting several area villages in the 17th Congressional District that have until Thursday, September 30, to claim the funds through the State of Illinois’ Non-Entitlement Units of Local Government Portal.
“Some of our smallest communities are at risk of losing federal funding owed to them through the American Rescue Plan, and my office wants to make sure that the residents of these villages receive the support they’re due,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “These funds have the potential to support vital local projects throughout rural Illinois, but only if they’re claimed in time. I urge each and every one of these villages to take full advantage of these resources before they’re re-allocated to other villages.”
If the funds are not claimed by then, they’ll be surrendered and allocated on a per-capita basis to other local governments. Bustos says that despite outreach, these funds remain unclaimed.
Villages in the 17th District still with unclaimed Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery funds include:
- Ellisville (Fulton County): $12,506.87
- Liverpool (Fulton County): $16,721.14
- Marietta (Fulton County): $14,817.92
- Smithfield (Fulton County): $30,043.67
- Gulfport (Henderson County): $6,389.38
- Media (Henderson County): $12,778.76
- Menominee (Jo Daviess County): $32,626.61
- Henderson (Knox County): $33,170.39
- New Boston (Mercer County): $88,363.74
- Sherrard (Mercer County): $80,750.86
- Grove (Rock Island County): $80,343.03
- Dakota (Stephenson County): $63,621.89
- Rock City (Stephenson County): $38,472.21
- North Pekin (Tazewell County): $210,033.80
- Little York (Warren County): $42,278.65
These CLFR funds can be used to invest in building, maintaining, or upgrading water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.
They can also go to cover revenue losses and the costs of responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency or to its negative economic impacts on households
These villages do not have to submit a plan for how the funds will be used in order to make a claim; and, claiming funds will not impact eligibility for other tax credits or benefits owed to the municipality.