A past Harrisburg City Council meeting
After months of meetings and public hearings, Harrisburg has decided how to employ millions of its federal COVID-relief dollars.
City Council voted on Wednesday night to use $31.4 million of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for projects like renovating a city pool and supporting affordable housing development.
The vote caps a long decision-making process by Harrisburg to determine how to use its total $47 million allocation from the federal government as pandemic relief. Mayor Wanda Williams first announced her proposal to use the funds in May 2022.
Over a year later, the city has allocated all of its ARPA money. On Wednesday, council voted to allocate the city’s remaining funds, $31.4 million, to replace revenue lost during the pandemic. The money will go into Harrisburg’s general fund. However, the money will be used by the city for specific programs and projects approved by council.
According to City Solicitor Neil Grover, using the money for revenue replacement eliminates some ARPA reporting requirements that would otherwise be mandated when awarding funds to sub-recipients, such as local nonprofits or businesses.
At a meeting last week and on Wednesday, council members voted to make additional changes to the city administration’s original proposal, adding programs to address workforce development for youth, transitional housing support and assistance for nonprofits helping senior citizens, among other things.
The biggest allocations within the spending plan for ARPA funds will support funding affordable housing projects and the renovation of Hall Manor pool, which is currently closed, each receiving an $8 million allocation.
City officials explained at previous meetings that the money for affordable housing can be disbursed to developers as matching funds of direct assistance. Developers would apply for the money and be approved by a board using a scoring rubric.
While Williams originally proposed using the $8 million for the city’s Hall Manor pool to construct a spray park at the site of the pool, council amended the plan to fund the renovation of the pool.
Other allocations within the ARPA plan include $5 million for home repairs for low-income and elderly residents, $1.5 million for creating an ADA-accessible playground and $1.5 million for blighted building demolition. Another $1 million will support financially assisting people with delinquent trash bills, $1 million will create a workforce development/internship program for youth and $1 million will provide funds for residents’ emergency and transitional housing needs.
Additional, smaller allocations will support tree removal services for elderly residents, the purchase of radios for the Fire Bureau and support for nonprofits that assist senior citizens.
Council also amended the plan to include $1 million to create a “Community Matters” grant program to support underserved communities, minority- and women-owned businesses and nonprofits that assist underserved communities. Another $500,000 will create “community connection hubs” at locations in the city to assist with workforce development.
An additional $1.2 million will pay for the city’s administration of the funds.
Council’s vote to spend the $31.4 million in funding means that all of the city’s ARPA money has been allocated. Council already voted in June 2022 to allocate $15.6 million to reimburse the city for lost revenue during the pandemic, for one-time bonuses to uniformed personnel in the Harrisburg Fire Bureau and Bureau of Police and to replace the HVAC system in the city’s Public Safety Building.
“I’m very proud of the work council has done here and I pray that our concern was felt through this process and that we are maximizing the funds for the benefit of the residents now and in the future,” council President Danielle Bowers said.
Under ARPA rules, Harrisburg is required to spend all funds by the end of 2026.
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