City of Medina setting up emergency funds for seniors, those confined to home

MEDINA — A temporary emergency fund will likely be set up in the city of Medina that will aid seniors and other residents who've been confined to their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. The measure would have an initial $25,000 put into it with those dollars coming out of the city's general fund, said Council President John Coyne. Council is set to vote on the measure this Monday during its regularly scheduled meeting. Coyne said funding is likely to be passed on emergency without the need for second or third reading of the ordinance. "We're still figuring out a lot of things about how this is going to work," he said. "Our goal is, as a city, to help those in need by setting aside these funds. We don't know what those needs are yet. When they come up, we want to make sure we're ready to help seniors, the disabled, the people who really need that help." "Uses could be assistance to help people in getting to a grocery store," Coyne added. "It could be paying them direct cash for them to pay a bill. There's so many different things, but we still don't know exactly how it's going to look yet. We do know we want to be there when these needs arise. We don't want our seniors to have to be out doing these things if there's a better alternative." Specifics on how applying for aid will work and criteria to be approved for funds are still being formulated. Coyne said money could also end up going to organizations in addition to individuals. "If the organization has a better mechanism to disperse funds to those in need, yes, it could go to them too," he said. "They may have a better system than we have. We'd be open to that." During a special Wednesday meeting, Council unanimously approved suspension of water utility shutoffs due to delinquent payment. "We don't want to encourage people not to pay their bill," said Coyne. "But we understand that some people might not be able to for the time being. We don't want to make it a free holiday. There's still an obligation to pay your bills and there's going to be penalties associated with it. Once we get to that bridge, we'll cross it at that time. For right now, we're not going to forgive penalties for not paying because that will just encourage people not to pay." Coyne encouraged residents to remain calm and be mindful of officials' instructions. "We want to get out to the public the message of staying home if you're able to," he said. "Listen to what the governor says because he's trying to do a mass quarantine type of philosophy where the less people interact the less ability the virus has to spread. If you need assistance, you can always call city call, call Council and call the mayor." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.