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NORTH HAVERHILL – Grafton and Sullivan counties plan to allocate about $ 3 million in federal assistance to recruit and retain staff who officials say could leave their posts for more lucrative and less stressful jobs in the private sector.
Grafton County hopes to spend $ 1.6 million on allowances for its nursing home and county jail workers, and an additional $ 261,000 for other county staff.
Meanwhile, Sullivan County last month approved $ 570,000 in additional payments to essential workers, as well as $ 500,000 to help fill a backlog of cases being processed by the county attorney’s office.
Both counties plan to use money from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, of Congress, to cover salary increases, as well as other infrastructure needs. Upper Valley towns in Vermont are also receiving more money than expected.
Grafton County Administrator Andrew Dorsett said on Friday his employees were facing two issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many, he said, are feeling exhausted by the long hours and staff shortages which have worsened as coronavirus cases have increased, leading some to seek employment elsewhere.
Others are concerned about federal vaccine mandates, including one announced by the Biden administration last month for all nursing home workers. Dorsett has estimated that about a quarter of the staff at the Grafton County nursing home are unvaccinated and he fears people will quit before getting vaccinated.
“People are just a little bit exhausted,” he said. “People are overworked and staffing levels are so tight. ”
Sullivan County District Attorney Marc Hathaway told the county delegation late last month that staffing issues – he lost two employees – were also straining his office.
With the courts reopening, he said, it could be two years before the criminal cases that have accumulated throughout the pandemic are resolved.
“The workload continues to add up, the backlog remains and the bottleneck is judging cases,” Hathaway said in a CCTV video of the meeting.
The federal bailout has set aside millions of dollars for cities and counties to pay essential workers, make up for lost income, and pay for water, sewer and broadband projects.
Sullivan County began using its roughly $ 8.4 million in bailout funds earlier this summer when lawmakers set aside $ 300,000 to cover income lost during the coronavirus pandemic.
The county delegation also allocated $ 100,000 for vaccine incentives, $ 50,000 for lead paint reduction programs and $ 25,000 for the Sullivan County trail plan.
Overall, Sullivan County has about $ 6.8 million in rescue money.
“There is no talk of other initiatives,” said Sullivan County Manager Derek Ferland. “Collectively, we plan to keep this in reserve for a possible retirement home project. ”
A committee of lawmakers is currently considering how best to move forward with Sullivan County Retirement Home Renovation, which was previously expected to cost $ 54 million.
However, Democrats objected to that number during the budget process, saying they did not want to overburden taxpayers. Instead, they set a target of $ 35 million.
The committee is supposed to produce recommendations on September 30, but has yet to reach consensus, Ferland said.
Grafton County, which is expected to receive $ 17.4 million in ARPA funds, plans to use $ 670,000 for cybersecurity upgrades, $ 250,000 for document scanning at the registry office and 41 $ 500 for a test well at the county complex.
The executive committee of the Grafton County delegation is scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the recommendations.
State Representative George Sykes, the Lebanese Democrat who chairs the group, said he would like to see improvements that would impact “the lives of the citizens of Grafton County”.
“We will be looking at more than just infrastructure projects in the county complex,” he said.
Sykes said this could include expanding broadband to rural areas, including a $ 250,000 allocation to help towns and villages connect to a proposed 350-mile fiber-optic internet network.
In Vermont, about $ 121 million allocated to counties, which oversee courthouses and sheriff’s departments, instead goes to municipalities. on demand of the State Congress delegation.
This means Hartford, which was on track to receive over $ 1 million in rescue funds, will receive an additional $ 1.8 million.
Meanwhile, Norwich’s share will rise to $ 662,000, from around $ 356,000 announced earlier this year.
“This is going to be very helpful,” said Woodstock City Manager William Kerbin Jr. of the additional funds. “This will be a great addition to meet our infrastructure needs. ”
The Woodstock Selectboard and the village board are working together to coordinate how the funds will be used, with a decision expected in about a month, Kerbin said.
The village, a separate municipal entity, is expected to receive $ 256,000 in ARPA money.
Hartland City Manager Dave Ormiston also said the additional funds were a “considerable amount of money.”
He said the city is working to form a committee that will recommend uses of the money, which could be allocated to stormwater projects.
Tim Camerato can be contacted at [email protected] or 603-727-3223.
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