ATLANTA — Billions in federal dollars have started to trickle down to Georgia through the most recent pandemic aid package and local government officials will play a big role in a portion of the distribution.

Last week, the White House announced states, cities and counties can begin to access their share of the $350 billion in federal funds allocated in the most recent COVID-19 relief bill. Unlike the first round of relief that targeted states and large local governments, smaller cities and counties will see direct relief in their pocketbooks, too.

Throughout the pandemic local governments have shouldered the weight of response within their communities — coordinating testing and vaccination efforts — while suffering a steep decline in tax revenue due to the shuttered economy.

With new direct relief to cities and governments, local leaders will have their share of federal dollars to put toward boosting public health, investing in infrastructure, helping businesses recover and supporting essential workers that remained on the job throughout the pandemic.

Local officials have broad discretion of distributing funds as guidelines have been left vague by lawmakers at the federal level. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who championed the additional dollars to localities, said last week that flexibility was intentional.

“We’ve worked very hard to make sure that there’s a lot of flexibility for local governments and for local education officials, because local officials, parents, PTA know best what each community needs,” Ossoff said. “… More than $4 billion for public schools across the state — local education officials will have a lot of discretion about how best to use those resources.”

The Georgia Municipal Association, which represents all 537 cities in Georgia, pushed for the direct funding model since the beginning of the pandemic. Larry Hanson, executive director for GMA, said it is the first time in history federal funding is being allocated directly to every local government in the country — about 19,000 cities.

“We have been advocating for cities — since the beginning of the pandemic — to receive direct funding so that the city can determine how best to meet its own needs,” Hanson said. “One thing we know about this pandemic is it has not been uniform in how it has affected populations or communities or even states.”

Georgia’s state government will receive about $4.9 billion. Funds to cities and counties vary — Atlanta to receive upwards of $171 million, Valdosta $16.2 million and Dalton $8.9 million. Smaller cities will get final estimates in the coming days. Officials have until the end of 2024 to use or lose the money.

The flexibility that comes with the relief also means tough choices for local elected officials who will have to make decisions such as who — if anyone — qualifies for hazard pay, what businesses to save with the extra help or how to assist homeowners on the brink of foreclosure.

Equitable distribution concerns

While conversations have begun taking place in city halls, commissioner offices and school board meetings across Georgia, leaders in communities of color worry about a history of inequitable distribution of federal funds.

“My concern is the accountability,” Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Ovita Thornton said during a Senate panel this week. “Too many of my fellow commissioners in smaller towns, they don’t even know about this money. … We all have a responsibility to do our part to make sure everybody is included.”

Community leaders say they hope funds are prioritized for communities of color hit hardest by the pandemic with fewer resources to combat it. The Rev. Ferrell Malone Sr., senior pastor at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Waycross made the case for the extra funds to be used to build equity into communities.

“We need clarity for the mayors, city commissioners, the county commissioners and superintendents to know that they have the creative and innovative ability to do something different,” he said. “And that they not rush to administer these funds or designate these funds — as many of them already have — without gaining community support and without the earmarking projects within the Black community.”

Malone was one of a group of community leaders who testified in front of the Georgia Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee on May 12 about their concerns that federal funds are distributed fairly.

“I’m asking our white counterparts to recognize and look through the community and see how systematic racism has ravaged our communities,” he said. “The tax dollars that are coming down, belong to all of us.”

During a meeting with leaders in the Latino community, Ossoff pointed to additional provisions within the extensive federal relief package specifically being sent to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

The American Rescue Plan includes $10 billion dedicated to expanding access to vaccines in communities of color, rural areas and for low-income populations. U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock has also made it a priority to carve out additional support for farmers of color.

Santiago Marquez, chief executive officer of the Latin American Association, told CNHI he hopes the relief coming to communities across Georgia will not only help stabilize families in a time of crisis, but be the first step toward sustained equity for communities of color.

“Our community has been decimated from COVID and that goes back to last year,” he said. “I think that we need to look at the big issues like providing more equity in access to health care, education, the workforce — not just solve the issue that’s in front of us, but the bigger issues.”