OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Governor Kevin Stitt is calling for cities and towns to get requests in as he and legislators get set to deal out $1.2 billion in CARES Act money.
The governor says cities and municipalities could see federal dollars headed their way the first week of June as funds go out for COVID-19 relief.
“We think $1.2 billion is going to be able to meet all our municipalities’ needs,” said Stitt.
The governor talking about money given to Oklahoma by the federal government as part of the CARES Act.
Stitt and other officials say it is up to cities and towns to go online and register their requests.
“Some of the biggest examples of expenses we’ve had is increase in overtime to first responders and expenses to PPE,” said Lawton Mayor Stan Booker.
All expenditures must be directly related to COVID-19. The federal dollars can’t be used to recoup lost sales tax revenue.
“It’s very important we get that set up and start getting that populated with reimbursement requests so we know what we’re spending and the need that’s out there,” said Rod Cleveland, Cleveland County Commissioner.
The governor and a committee of legislators will review the forms.
He says reports will be made daily and those reports will be released to the public about how exactly funds are being spent.
“Our mission is to maximize all federal dollars available during this unprecedented time and to ensure this money is spent with integrity on COVID-19 related expenses, emergencies, and pandemic preparedness,” said Stitt.
The governor also remains positive on Oklahoma’s reopening, saying COVID-19 numbers were trending well during phase two, despite a close to 25% spike in total statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations from Monday into Tuesday.
“Our goal was never to have zero people in the hospital. It was to prepare for beds. You still might have ups or downs, but the data still looks really good to continue through phase 2. Overall, we are good,” said Stitt.
The governor did stress that Oklahoma is not out of the woods. He says that hand sanitation and proper social distancing are key right now.
