$77 per person: Oklahoma cities, counties to get federal relief funds based on population.

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office announced on Wednesday a change to the distribution process for CARES Act funding going to cities and counties, saying it will allow for dollars to be accessed more efficiently.

Roughly $250 million of the state’s total $1.2 billion in funding from the CARES Act — the first federal COVID-19 relief package — will now go to Oklahoma cities and counties based on population, and each local government now has a funding cap, according to a press release.

Using 2019 U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, the formula provides $77 for each person. For counties, the population will only reflect those in unincorporated areas.

“After working with and observing the fiscal impact of COVID-19 on local governments, I directed our team to streamline its reimbursement process and to deliver more flexibility for getting these critical funds out the door,” Stitt said in the press release. “The new … allocation model will ensure city and county governments have equitable access and more foresight as they plan for the remainder (of) 2020.”

Governments still have to apply for the funding and provide detailed reimbursement requests for funds spent on COVID-19 expenses, but state spokeswoman Donelle Harder said by making it clear how much funding each city and county can receive in total, localities can decide when to apply for funds.

“We are empowering local governments with the decision of how quickly they would want to capture their eligible reimbursements, instead of the state regulating this timeline,” Harder said.

Previously, there was no acknowledged funding cap on cities and counties requesting the federal money.

Harder said the new amounts will “ensure there are critical federal funds still available for local governments who don’t need it today, but could need it in September or October.”

“Congress intended for these funds to assist the entire state for a period of time, and it was important to the governor to ensure all cities and counties had the ability to adequately respond or prepare for COVID-19 before we approach deadline on (funds) as set forth by Congress,” she said.

CARES Act funding must be spent by the end of the year or returned to the federal government.

Over the past two months, the state has approved $17.4 million in reimbursements to 90 cities and counties. Millions are still pending approval, but 86% of funding set aside for cities and counties is still available.

For entities that already received money from the state, those dollars will count toward their overall funding total.

The federal government previously provided some funding directly to cities and counties with populations above 500,000. This meant that only Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County and Tulsa County have received lump sums directly from the federal government already.

Other local governments had to wait for reimbursements from the state, which Norman Mayor Breaa Clark said on Twitter has not been fair.

In response, the state’s Chief Operating Officer John Budd said the number of requests from cities and counties for reimbursements so far have been low.

Reimbursements have been for overtime, personal protective equipment and other costs related to transitioning many employees to a working-from-home status.

“Now more than ever, we must be innovative and work together to meet the immediate needs of our residents and to plan for our community’s recovery,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum in the press release. Tulsa will be eligible for roughly $30 million from the state.

The application period for city and county governments to provide reimbursement requests will close after Nov. 1.