Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF by its Spanish initials) Executive Director Omar J. Marrero announced Wednesday that the island’s 78 municipalities have completed the application process for the third phase of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Assistance Program to Municipalities.

In this way, some $1 million will be distributed to each municipality to keep guaranteeing that emergency services associated with the pandemic are rendered, the agency said in a press release.

The $100 million distributed in this phase of the program elevates the total assistance provided to island towns to $300 million.

“After Gov. Pedro Pierluisi authorized the extension of this program, we immediately began working hand-in-hand with the municipalities to meet federal requirements from the start and be able to distribute the money more expeditiously,” Marrero said. “For this reason, we prepared updated guidelines with the terms and conditions and we organized many group and individual information sessions with the municipalities where we provided relevant guidance and information on the application process in accordance with the eligibility criteria.”

The head of AAFAF noted that through the applications, the municipalities submitted their eligible expenses, expenses not budgeted or covered by other assistance funding, which the municipalities must incur during 2021 to expand the effective response against the pandemic.

He added that most municipalities were able to include in the application expenses incurred in 2020 that could not be paid from other assistance funds.

AAFAF and the CRF Disbursement Oversight Committee published the updated guidelines with the terms and conditions at www.aafaf.pr.gov.

Fuente: The San Juan Daily Star

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