Butler County municipalities will soon be able to apply for a piece of an $8 million federally funded pie.

According to a news release Tuesday, the Butler County Board of Commissioners has allocated $8 million to cover expenses to municipalities relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

The allocation comes from a total of $17 million the county received through the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

“Our municipalities, like all local levels of government, have been impacted by COVID-19,” said county Commissioner Kim Geyer in an interview Tuesday.

As officials announced the measure Tuesday, Butler County continued its bout with the virus by adding nine confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the daily report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The county has a total of 565 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, with a death toll of 15.

Commissioners will host phone meetings with municipal officials to help guide them through the application process to obtain CARES Act funding and to answer any questions.

Geyer said eligible expenses must pertain to the pandemic, but could include waste and recycling as well as the purchase of personal protective equipment, among other things.

Overtime and hazard pay for municipal employees would also be eligible, she said, but the budgeted payroll for those employees would be ineligible.

“It's not going to cover all their losses, but it's going to reimburse them for any public emergency or recovery planning,” Geyer said.

Mark Gordon, Butler County chief of economic development and planning, said all 57 municipalities countywide were invited to attend a meeting last week explaining the application process. He said the county has kept in close contact with the municipalities during the crisis.

“We've been having them about every three weeks, ever since COVID-19 hit,” Gordon said. “The idea was to help the municipalities throughout the whole coronavirus pandemic.”

The application period opens Friday and runs until Aug. 21. Municipal officials with further questions can contact Gordon by phone at 724-284-5300 or by email at MGordon@co.butler.pa.us.

Geyer said municipalities have seen drastic cuts to their revenue, including local earned-income taxes and amusement tax income.

She said the loss of events surrounding Cooper's Lake Campground, which shuttered for the season, has cost Worth Township about $65,000 in revenue from amusement tax. She said the cancellation of the Big Butler Fair and the Butler Farm Show will also have an impact on Franklin and Butler townships' revenue.

“Hopefully, this will provide some extra security and stability for that municipality, financially, so they don't have to raise taxes in the future to make up losses they've experienced,” Geyer said.

The county has partnered with a third-party company, Delta Development, which Gordon noted has helped with other county initiatives in the past.

“We're in uncharted waters,” he said. “We have people who are dedicated to our residents, our municipalities and our businesses, aimed at doing the best possible job we can do to bring the right level of resources here.”

According to the news release, expenses for municipal volunteer fire departments and EMS services are not eligible for reimbursement under this allotment, but CARES Act funding has been set aside separately for their needs.

“We will be working in the coming weeks to help distribute that too,” Geyer said.