Eligible DeKalb County communities could get $6M+ in state COVID-19 recovery funds

SPRINGFIELD – DeKalb County communities now are eligible for more than $6 million in COVID-19 relief funds if they apply for the funding through the state before the end of September, according to Illinois state officials.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Thursday more than 1,250 small cities, towns and villages across the state that have not already received aid from the federal American Rescue Plan Act may apply for their share of more than $742 million in federal funds.

“The money can be used to cover expenses incurred while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” governor’s officials wrote in the Thursday news release. “The first payments are expected to be made in August.”

Sycamore is set to receive the most in these funds out of the rest of the eligible DeKalb County communities, amounting to $2,490,769.81, according to state documents. Sandwich is set to receive the second most, amounting to $1,008,434.15.

Genoa could get $711,939.83 in the funds through the state, according to state documents.

Cortland could get $599,242.08; Hinckley could get $278,685.63; Somonauk could get $254,351.62; Kirkland could get $235,047.54; Waterman could get $203,916.31; Maple Park could get $185,563.85; Kingston could get $158,918.78; Malta could get $157,423.39; Shabbona could get $125,068.67; and Lee could get $44,453.76.

That accounts for a total of $6,453,815.42 for DeKalb County communities.

DeKalb was not listed in the state documents as a community getting a cut from the $742 million through the state, according to state documents.

DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas said Friday the city is considered an entitlement city, meaning it gets money directly from the federal government.

“It doesn’t have to go through the state,” Nicklas said.

Nicklas’s comments come after he previously said during a June City Council meeting the City of DeKalb is potentially eligible for $10,422,954 from the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into federal law March 11. City officials are set to consider Monday spending $241,644 of that money, which the City is referring to as Fund 110, to the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District, according to the City’s Monday meeting agenda.

According to the Thursday news release from the governor’s office, the state established a website portal at https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/CURENEU/Pages/default.aspx. Authorized community representatives can access the portal to certify and request their allotment within minutes.

Municipalities completing the portal submission, including all of the documentation required by U.S. Treasury, can expect to receive half of their funding in approximately 30 days with the remaining half roughly a year later. The deadline for municipalities to apply for funding is Sept. 30, according to the release.