The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted at its May 19 regular meeting to approve a resolution accepting a $69,000 grant for the county’s airport from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which is providing $10 billion in relief for airports affected by COVID-19. The money is part of $410,917,650 allocated for the state of Georgia, which the Federal Aviation Administration and the state’s Department of Transportation will distribute to eight commercial airports and 88 general aviation airports.
Also coming to Henry County from the CARES Act is 100 percent of operating and capital costs for 17 months for Henry County’s transit program and its transportation of elderly and disabled residents. The county will be eligible for reimbursement up to $729,030 in operating assistance for the 2021 fiscal year, and no local match is required.
In other business, the board approved a resolution regarding a $774,388.43 subgrant contract with the Atlanta Regional Commission to provide services for the county’s senior adults. The money is a mix of state and federal funds administered by the ARC and is subject to a $50,237.30 local match which is in the county’s budget.
According to a county staff report, services provided by Henry County Senior Services under the contract include case management, senior recreation, personal care, homemaker, respite, home-delivered meals and congregate meals served in the county’s senior centers. The vote to approve the contract was unanimous.
The board approved a resolution regarding a contract with the Georgia Department of Human Services for transportation services for elderly and disabled citizens. Through its Coordinated Transportation System, the DHS provides transportation services for eligible individuals to attend and participate in vital services through programs offered by Senior Services, Developmental Disabilities, Henry County Counseling Centers, Department of Family and Children Services, and the Georgia Department of Labor. The state will contract with Henry County Transit to provide this service for the 2021 fiscal year. The county could collect up to $462,154.40 during the contract period, and no matching funds are required.
A resolution was approved reappointing deputy county manager Brad Johnson and Henry County Fire Department Chief Luther Phillips to the Region 4/West Georgia Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council for terms that expire June 30, 2022. The county has four seats on the council with each seat having a required two-year term. The terms are staggered so that two seats are up every year. The purpose of the council is “to coordinate, facilitate the improvement of, and maintain a quality emergency medical services system in the counties that make up Region 4,” according to a county staff report.
