Hays County rental assistance program loses $1.7M on heels of $772K deduction for not meeting distribution goal

Hays County officials issued another statement Feb. 11 regarding the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and another loss of funds of $1.7 million for not meeting the targeted distribution amount. This comes on the heels of a prior update Jan. 20 stating the county had lost out on $772,791 for the same reason.

The county originally received $6.9 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury in January 2021 to offer financial assistance to those in need through the program, which was founded in mid-2021.

County officials requested the Treasury Department either not reallocate the funds away from the county or reallocate them back to the county based on its “projected level of efficiency,” according to the statement.

While the county auditor’s office confirmed the request was received, a decision has yet to be made.

The ERA reallocation guidelines from the Treasury state “Treasury expects to distribute recaptured funds about every two months, as warranted based on availability and confirmed need.”

Therefore, the county could stand to lose more of the ERA funds in the months to come if it continues to miss the targeted distribution amount.

The ERA program has been without a manager since early January, according to the Jan. 20 statement, and the Commissioners Court subsequently approved requests for proposals for a new manager.

The requests received are under review, according to county Communications Manager Kim Hilsenbeck, and the county plans to process tickets faster by utilizing a more streamlined process than under the previous manager.