Tennessee to Distribute $200 Million to County and City Governments Through Governor’s Local Support Grants

NASHVILLE, TN – April 6, 2020 – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced $200 million in grants to be distributed to every county and city government across Tennessee for one-time, local expenses in fiscal year 2021.

“Capital maintenance, public safety and road projects don’t pause for disasters like the March tornadoes and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gov. Lee said in a release from the Governor’s Office. “This grant fund will ease the burden on local governments as they work to meet infrastructure and safety obligations.”

Funding is based on population as published by the US Census Bureau. Each county will receive at least $500,000 while each city or municipality will receive at least $30,000. The three Metro governments (Davidson, Moore and Trousdale) will receive one allocation, whichever is largest. The application will be made available by April 30, 2020, and the funds will be made available after July 1, 2020.

Funds may be used for road projects, I.T. upgrades, capital maintenance, utility system upgrades, and public safety projects. Certain disaster-related expenses are also eligible for funding.

One-time expenses related to COVID-19 are eligible including supply and equipment purchase, cleaning, emergency food and shelter programs. Counties impacted by the March 2020 tornadoes including Benton, Carroll, Davidson, Gibson, Putnam, Smith, and Wilson counties may also use the funds for tornado relief efforts.

Additional information on the application and appropriation process is available here.

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