Butler County agencies are looking for a lot more than just a little aid from the stimulus package, and they thinking they've found it.
Officials across the county said they are hopeful the money they will receive from the $8.2 billion allotted to the state of Ohio from the stimulus package will kick in soon.
Out of the 10,296 stimulus submissions requesting funding from Ohio's stimulus allotment, Butler County claims 172 of them as of Feb. 25. These requests were submitted through Ohio's newly created Web site, at recovery.ohio.gov, created for those interested in the federal stimulus dollars.
The urgency of many agencies' financial needs is recognized, but Gov. Ted Strickland's office is trying to sort through the mountains of requests.
"(We're still) analyzing the final version of the bill and in an ongoing conversation with the federal government," Strickland spokesperson Amanda Wurst said. "We are trying to move forward as quickly as possible."
While some funding for the state has been "allocated through a formula," according to the recovery Web site, a large chunk of the money will be dealt out to regional governments, schools and community organizations as needed.
The Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) is one sector very hopeful its financial wishes will be granted.
Carla Lakatos, BCRTA's executive director, said the Cincinnati area is expecting to collect about $25 million in transit grants, and the BCRTA is eager to receive a reported $1.6 million of those grants.
Plans for the $1.6 million include repairing dilapidated buses, improving facilities, funding maintenance and improving assets to an overall state of good repair.
Lakatos said her office is "positioning to be ready" to accept the funds and is preparing to spend them quickly. She said there is a short period of time to use the allotted money before it may be in jeopardy of being taken away.
"The whole point of the stimulus is to get the money into the system as soon as possible," Lakatos said.
Although the BCRTA does not have an exact date on which they will be receiving funding, they are optimistic it will be soon and ready to use it the day it comes in.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office is another area hoping for some help.
Erika Bressler, assistant to the sheriff's office finance director, said the office has submitted about 40 requests for funding from the stimulus package, ranging in dollar amounts from $60,000 to $2 million. One of the most notable, and most expensive, of the requests is a jail addition.
"We have some mentally ill prisoners, so we asked for a therapeutic unit within the jail facility," Bressler said.
The Ohio Energy Office, a sector of the Ohio department of development, is also vying for its chunk of change.
Bob Greevy of the Ohio department of development, declined to go into specifics, but promised the state would be "targeting advanced energy initiatives" with the funding provided by the stimulus package.
Greevy referred to Ohio as a "growing area," in which energy plans funded by the stimulus package will not only include more reusable sources and efficient techniques, but increased employment opportunities for citizens.
