Over $13 million in federal government assistance - your money - will soon flow to municipalities across Delaware County. The bulk of these funds, nearly $9 million, will go directly to county government.
According to a report from Senator Schumer’s office, eligible uses of funds provided by the American Rescue Plan include:
Cover municipal revenue losses caused by the public health emergency
Make necessary (italics added) investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure
Provide premium pay to eligible workers or provide grants to eligible employers that have eligible workers who perform essential work
Assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits or aid to impacted Industries such as tourism travel and hospitality
It cannot be used to offset a reduction in taxes or cover the cost of public pensions
These funds represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to assist those residents, businesses, and community organizations, particularly our nonprofits which provide vital services, that were truly devastated by the government mandated closures, it’s also an opportunity--I would say an obligation--to have very public discussions about how these funds should be used.
We’ve seen large influxes of cash go to municipalities in the past. Many will recall the Marcy South power line payments of the early 1980s. Many new trucks, snow plows, and municipal buildings were purchased or constructed as a result. How about those good neighbor payments that were used as an inducement to sign the Watershed agreement in the mid-1990s? Yep, more trucks, snow plows, and buildings.
The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, as an advocate for business owners, encourages our elected officials to engage in an open dialogue with community groups, nonprofits, business groups like ours, and interested residents regarding ways to invest the funds in ways that will yield lasting and impactful results.
Let’s start the conversation here with a few ideas:
Send every County resident a voucher redeemable at Delaware County based small businesses. These “Delco dollars” will support our neighbors and keep funds circulating through our local economy.
Create a microloan program for small and start-up businesses. Sometimes an infusion of $5,000 or $10,000 into a business can be the difference between remaining open or shutting the doors. Heck, include benchmarks that need to be met to turn the loans into grants.
Partner with local foundations to support our nonprofit organizations that have experienced significant financial losses.
Compensate small business owners for equipment purchased to meet government mandates, including the ventilation systems, partitions, tents, and much more.
Government tends to look Inward and focus on what they need.. We don’t need a new building in which to purchase a building permit. We don’t even need a new fleet of snow plows. We need to be part of the discussion. Better solutions will result when more voices are heard, respected, and actively participate.
Tell your town supervisor, council members, village mayor, and trustees that you want to be part of the solution. Some town boards, notably Roxbury, have already implemented broad discussions and we applaud those decisions. Let’s hope they set an example for their colleagues.
$13 million won’t solve all of our problems and will easily be used without anyone even remembering how it was spent. Perhaps the best legacy of these funds will be the honest conversation and connection they prompted between government and those it is committed to serve.
Ray Pucci is the president of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce believes that healthy communities begin with healthy businesses. By focusing on key areas – community and economic development, advocacy, tourism promotion, and business engagement – we partner with municipal leaders, community organizations, and local companies to present a unified voice of business for the improvement of our communities.
Visit delawarecounty.org for more information
