Idaho committee OKs $150 million of coronavirus rescue money

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A committee helping oversee Idaho’s $1.25 billion share of the federal government’s $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package on Wednesday voted to distribute money to local governments based on population.

The Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee also unanimously approved caps on how much state agencies will receive.

The recommendations that add up to about $150 million now go to Republican Gov. Brad Little for his consideration. Little earlier this month formed the 14-member committee that’s headed by his budget chief, Alex Adams.

The committee is planning to meet Friday to look at providing economic support for small businesses. “You'll see us move quickly on that,” Adams said.

It also is looking at using some of the money to improve broadband infrastructure to help schools with distance learning as well as businesses that have employees working from home.

The money approved by Congress comes with significant restrictions. Treasury Department guidelines released last week require the money to be used to cover direct expenses incurred due to the virus. But Adams said the federal agency may expand guidelines.

Committee member Seth Grigg, executive director of the Idaho Association of Counties, said counties were comfortable with the population-based approach. “Cities are on board as well,” said committee member John Evans, the mayor of Garden City.

Highly populated Ada County would get just under $12 million, and the state's largest city, Boise, would get about $7.8 million. Kootenai County in northern Idaho would get about $4 million, and Bannock County in eastern Idaho would get about $2.1 million. In eastern Idaho, Atomic City, population 27, would get $900.

That formula will also be used for special purpose taxing districts, such as county ambulance services. Blaine County Ambulance, for example, will get $2.25 million.

The committee also suggested caps for state agencies based on need. The cap for public schools is $4 million, for example.

Some agencies have much greater expenses compared to what lawmakers approved for budgets in the legislative session that wrapped up last month.

Public Health Districts will get nearly $7 million, which is 65% of its budget. Much of that is needed for the labor-intensive work of tracking who infected people might have come in contact with.

“It's really our only tool that we have when there is not a treatment,” said Carol Moehrle, director for Idaho Public Health District 2 in northern Idaho.

Contact tracing, along with testing, is a key part of Little's four-stage plan to reopen Idaho from his current stay-at-home order that expires Thursday. Little has suggested he will let the order expire and move Idaho into the first stage of reopening. He has scheduled a news conference Thursday morning.

The Department of Correction will get nearly $12 million that its director, Josh Tewalt, said will mainly be used to keep the virus out of the prison population, which he said hasn't yet been infected. The Department of Labor is getting about $10 million needed to deal with some 110,000 residents who have lost their jobs.

Adams said the committee is also looking to put money aside in stabilization funds for unexpected expenses such as a virus outbreak in a rural area or in the state's prison system. He said the tentative amount for local governments is $280 million. A stabilization fund number has yet to be determined.

When money starts coming out of the $1.25 billion fund, it will appear on the new Transparent Idaho website.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems. Statewide, more than 1,950 confirmed cases on Wednesday, and at least 60 people have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.