BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Seven villages in Louisiana lost out on about $240,000 in federal coronavirus aid because they failed to submit the proper paperwork to get the money.
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told lawmakers the state reached out multiple times to urge the villages to submit ″very simple paperwork″ but didn’t get a response. The unaccepted funds will be reallocated among the 284 towns and villages that did comply, Dardenne told the joint House and Senate budget committee.
The governor’s Division of Administration was tasked with distributing $315 million in federal aid to nearly 300 local governments. The state’s 14 largest cities got their funding directly.
The Advocate reports the villages that didn’t submit their paperwork include: Gilliam in Caddo Parish; Lillie in Union Parish; Lisbon in Claiborne Parish; Martin in Red River Parish; Mound in Madison Parish; Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish; and Shongaloo in Webster Parish. The villages have 1,282 residents, according to state data.
