KAUFMAN, Texas — Some Kaufman County first responders will be among those receiving a portion of over $1 million in hazard pay thanks to a federal COVID-19 grant being administered by the Governor's Office, county officials announced today.
KAUFMAN, Texas — Some Kaufman County first responders will be among those receiving a portion of over $1 million in hazard pay thanks to a federal COVID-19 grant being administered by the Governor's Office, county officials announced today.
Kaufman County will receive $1,058,000.00 in Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) from the Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office, Criminal Justice Division.
The funding will be distributed among 259 law enforcement personnel from detention officers, Adult and Juvenile Probation, sheriff's office deputies, district attorney's office investigators, fire marshal deputies, and constables and their deputies.
According to county officials, these first responders will receive a one-time payment of approximately $4,000, before taxes, considered hazard pay for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cities of Forney, Crandall, and Kemp have also applied and been awarded for the grants for their police departments however, unfortunately the grant does not provide hazard pay for firefighters or other city employees, but is restricted to those with TCOLE certifications, county officials tell inForney.com. Exact amounts awarded to each city were not available as of press time.
Pam Corder, Kaufman County’s Project Manager and Grant Coordinator, says that she was extremely passionate about writing this grant for the county employees and assisting other cities with their grant applications.
“Like many others that have family members in law enforcement - I knew that doing their job as deputy, jailer or investigator - at anytime these men and woman could come in to contact with someone that was sick/contagious with COVID-19,” Corder tells inForney.com. “But they would not deny anyone the help they needed during an emergency.”
“We are excited to provide these funds to so many in law enforcement who answered the call to serve during the pandemic,” Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jolie Stewart told inForney.com.
“We are extremely grateful for all of our public officials who made this funding possible, and especially Pam Corder who worked tirelessly to ensure that county and cities applied and were awarded,” Stewart says.
The county was also reimbursed $18,000 for COVID supplies and materials purchased during the pandemic’s onset.