LaSalle County got nearly $11 million earlier this year for pandemic relief. County Board member Doug Trager says the county’s taking too long to figure out how to spend it all. The county has until the end of 2024 to decide what to do with it and the end of 2026 to actually spend it. Trager says people need help now.
Trager suggests contacting area organizations that help people and getting their ideas for how to use the money. County Board Chairman Don Jensen says he knows things don’t appear to be going very fast, but he has been hearing from area organizations. And he wants to form a committee to go over ideas.
One thing Jensen is concerned about is a so-called interim rule for how to use the money and whether the county would have to pay it back if the rule changes.