Gov. Murphy Provides $60 Million in Aid to Combat COVID-19

Governor Murphy announced a $60 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for the Local Government Emergency Fund to aid counties and municipalities that were excluded from government funds.  

The relief funds will help to address the necessary and unexpected needs of the people of New Jersey to combat COVID-19.  

The New Jersey Department of Health Services has also helped by providing $10 million to the fund to help give workers the necessary technology to work remotely and other necessities.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various counties and local governments in the state. They are now facing an increase in costs for health benefits, health and human services, public safety, overtime, equipment and supplies. 

Governor Murphy believes these funds will help local governments to fight the pandemic and get the people of the state the supplies they need.  

“Local governments have stepped up to meet the needs of their communities throughout this pandemic, and we are strengthening their efforts today with $60 million dollars in direct relief,” said Governor Murphy. “We know these funds will be a welcome lifeline of support for essential government services and New Jersey’s taxpayers.” 

Qualifying expenditures for the Local Government Emergency Fund include public safety and health-related expenses, COVID-19-related overtime, increased residential and health-related garbage collection and services. It also includes remote working technology, signage and information technology related to the COVID-19 response and recovery, and public health-related retrofit expenses for reopening. 

Congressman Daniel Norcross, who alongside Gov. Murphy put the act in place, will give the state the funding to help essential workers and their communities. 

“These resources will provide our local governments with the vital funding needed to help cover unexpected costs from the pandemic and keep our first responders and other essential workers safe and on the job,” said Norcross. “I’ll continue to fight for New Jersey in Congress to ensure our communities get the tools and supplies we need to combat this outbreak and keep residents healthy and secure.” 

The $60 million that will be allocated by using a formula called the Municipal Revitalization Index that uses a variety of relevant metrics, including the municipal COVID-19 infection rate, fiscal stress, population and public safety and health and human services expenditures share of the budget to determine the amount of funds counties and municipalities receive. 

Below is a chart of the counties in New Jersey that will be receiving funding and how much they will be getting according to the index. 

County 

Initial Allocation 

Atlantic 

$6,318,936 

Burlington 

$8,187,352 

Cape May 

$1,305,162 

Cumberland 

$6,391,225 

Gloucester 

$4,858,821 

Hunterdon 

$948,183 

Mercer 

$12,593,962 

Morris 

$8,415,816 

Salem 

$1,538,872 

Somerset 

$6,367,176 

Sussex 

$1,319,462 

Warren 

$1,755,034 

There are some counties left out for the funding including Monmouth, Middlesex and Bergen County.  

To further assist small businesses and communities, DCA announced last week a $7.5 million federal appropriation through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security. DCA's COVID-19 relief programs are part of a coordinated State effort to invest needed dollars into small businesses, small landlords, and impacted communities in the wake of the pandemic. 

Eligible municipalities may also seek and apply for reimbursement for up to 100% of their eligible costs incurred, up to their maximum total allocation amount.