freeholder president brendan w. gill and the essex county freeholder board pass resolution encouraging congress to support covid-19 federal financial assistance to local governments

Pictured are (from left to right, front row) District 2 Freeholder Vice President Wayne Richardson, Freeholder At-Large Romaine Graham, District 3 Freeholder Tyshammie L. Cooper, Freeholder At-Large Patricia Sebold, and Freeholder President At-Large Brendan Gill. (From left to right, back row) District 5 Freeholder Carlos Pomares, District 4 Freeholder Leonard M. Luciano, Freeholder At-Large Rufus I. Johnson, and District 1 Freeholder Robert Mercado. PHOTO BY GLEN FRIESON

(Newark, NJ) – On April 29, 2020, Essex County Freeholder President Brendan Gill and the Essex County Freeholder Board approved a resolution calling on Congress to expedite and pass all upcoming COVID-19 legislation providing financial assistance to County and Municipal governments.

The Freeholder Board supported the previously passed CARES ACT, which provided financial assistance to individuals, small businesses and state governments. However, there were a multitude of county and municipal governments that did not receive aid as part of the CARES Act. The resolution passed by the Board calls on our congressional leadership from New Jersey, as well as the overall leadership of Congress, to support any future legislation that will provide the necessary financial support to assist local governments with their relief and response efforts.

The resolution highlighted the fact that New Jersey, and specifically Essex County, has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Essex County has over 13,000 positive reported cases and over 10,000 initial unemployment claims, with more than 3,500 claims coming from the City of Newark and nearly 1,000 from East Orange. Tragically, Essex County also has 1,139 deaths as of April 29, 2020, which is more than any county in New Jersey.

County and local governments play critical roles in delivering much needed services to the people they serve, and the COVID- 19 public health emergency has placed an incredible strain on local government budgets. First responders, overtime for healthcare employees, the provision COVID-19 testing, and food distribution events are all examples of events that have exhausted County and Municipal financial resources in a way that could not be accounted for prior to the onset of COVID-19.

“Prior to sponsoring this resolution, my colleagues on the Board and I were appreciative of the Senate and House for expediting the passage of the CARES Act.” President Gill stated, “However, as more federal legislation is proposed, Congress must keep in mind the critical role that County and local governments play in delivering services to our communities. Essex County, and each of our municipalities, are doing all we can to provide testing, adequate healthcare, food, and basic services to our residents. Any financial assistance that can be provided from the federal government will certainly be appreciated.”