Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

During last Monday’s County Commissioner’s meeting, the Commissioners voted to give essential employees of Lewis County Government the American Rescue Act Premium Pay in the form of a bonus. However, county employees are not the only ones who may qualify and be selected for these bonuses.

According to the Tennessee Comptroller’s office, premium pay cannot be used for employees who work from a residence. It is also limited up to $13 per hour above normal compensation to a maximum of $25,000 per employee.

Like with the county employees, the County Commissioners must vote to give premium pay for essential workers who do not work for the Lewis County government, but whose threat of being infected by Covid is regularly increased while doing their job because they interact with others at work, or physically handle items handled by others. Some, but not all, of workers may be:

Staff at nursing homes, hospitals, and home care settings;

Workers at farms, food production facilities, grocery stores, and restaurants;

Janitors and sanitation workers;

Truck drivers, transit staff, and warehouse workers;

Public health and safety staff;

Childcare workers, educators, and other school staff; and

Social service and human services staff.

The American Rescue Act is a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package passed by Congress last March. John Dunn from the state’s Comptroller’s office said Lewis County will receive $2.38 million over the next two years and must have used the funds by December 31, 2024. Mr. Dunn reported the county has already received half of the money ($1.765 million).

In addition to workers premium pay, the Rescue Act allows funds to be used to support public health, certain assistance to households, small businesses, non-profits, and industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality which have been impacted by the pandemic. Funds can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.

As long as the County Commissioners stay within the guidelines set forth in the act, the funds may be used in any way the county sees fit. They may use it for all of the areas listed in the act or just one.

They may give premium pay to only county government employees and no one else or they can give the bonuses to other workers. They may give funds to small businesses, into infrastructure, non-profit, or none of them.

Because of the many options and uses allowed, the state of Tennessee has created best practices, some of which are: be transparent with the public, and use the money to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of citizens.

The State also suggests and highly encourages creating groups made up of business leaders, non-profits, government officials and other members of the county to bring first-hand information on the needs of the county, to prioritize these needs and develop solutions and plans to make the solutions happen.

However, last Friday County Mayor Jonah Keltner told me he would not form such groups.

Mr. Dunn of the Comptroller’s office also reported the City of Hohenwald will be receiving American Rescue Act funds.