Trumbull Receives More In Coronavirus Reimbursement Than Expended

TRUMBULL, CT — Trumbull has received more in coronavirus-related reimbursements than it submitted to federal and state officials thanks to a change in a state formula.

Trumbull submitted coronavirus-related expenses to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Initially state officials directed towns to wait until FEMA gave approval on reimbursement before asking for reimbursement through the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, said Finance Director Maria Pires during the Jan. 14 Board of Finance meeting.

"The state gave us more money than we submitted for reimbursement because they changed their formula method, they used a population formula instead of actual expenses," Pires said.

There was a delay in the FEMA approval process, so state officials allowed towns to submit for reimbursement through CRF. At first the state asked for extensive documentation, but the formula was then changed to a simpler per-resident basis.

In the end Trumbull got $99,000 more than it submitted for in expenses thanks to the change.

“I’m sure some cities or towns will probably get less than what they expended and some towns like us would receive more,” Pires said.

Connecticut received $1.382 billion in CRF funds through the federal CARES Act, according to the state Office of Policy and Management. Around $75 million was earmarked for municipal relief.

The extra CRF funds could be used to offset some police, health department and EMS salaries if they are covid-related, but the town is still waiting on specific state guidance, Pires said. The town hasn’t submitted expenses for the last two quarters of 2020 of the year because FEMA hasn’t opened up the reimbursement process yet.