Port to receive $1.7 million in pandemic relief money
The City of Port Washington will receive $1.7 million for Covid-19 relief from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act, City Administrator Tony Brown said Tuesday.
Brown said the funds, which are based on population, will come in two installments over the next year.
But just how the money will be spent hasn’t been decided, he said.
“Our first priority (in spending the money) is going to be recouping any lost revenue because of Covid,” Brown said, estimating that will amount to several hundred thousand dollars.
But the rest, he said, must fit in one of four categories, including:
• Funds spent in response to the public health emergency or its negative economic consequences.
• Money used to pay a premium to eligible workers.
• Replacing revenue lost due to the pandemic.
• Investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.
But, Brown said, the city is waiting for guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department before it decides how to use the money.
“I have a preliminary idea, but I want to make sure we do the right thing with the funds,” he said, declining to go into more detail. “I don’t want to get ahead of it and risk doing something that we shouldn’t.”
He said the city could spend the money on projects related to its water and sewer utilities, but those departments are funded largely through user fees.
It would probably be more prudent to spend the money for projects that would otherwise be financed through the city’s general fund, Brown said, since that will maximize the impact.
That’s because the city can only increase its general fund by a limited amount each year, so using the federal money for projects that would otherwise be financed through the general fund frees up money for other needed projects, he said.
Brown said the city should receive the first installment of the Rescue Act funds in early summer.
Category:
Feedback:
Click Here to Send a Letter to the EditorOzaukee Press
Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-3494