A past Harrisburg City Council meeting
Harrisburg is getting closer to deciding how it will use millions of dollars in federal COVID relief funding.
On Tuesday, Harrisburg City Council discussed using the bulk of its share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for affordable housing, a spray park and home repair services for low-income and elderly residents, among other uses.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mayor Wanda Williams, at a press conference, called out council for not yet voting on her proposed spending plan.
Council President Danielle Bowers responded at last night’s council meeting, stating that Williams had mischaracterized, at the earlier press conference, how long it had been since council was given the proposal, as well as how many ARPA public meetings Williams and city administration held. At the press conference, Williams said she held seven public meetings, but Bowers said the city only held five.
“That is embarrassing, sharing incorrect information,” Bowers said. “Mayor Williams, we are wide awake and take our responsibility as elected officials in this city very seriously.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, council asked questions of the city administration and discussed a proposal to use $28.1 million of the city’s total $47 million from ARPA.
Council has already allocated $15.6 million for replacing the HVAC system in Harrisburg’s Public Safety Building, providing one-time bonuses to uniformed personnel in the Harrisburg Fire Bureau and Bureau of Police and to reimburse the city for lost revenue during COVID.
An additional, about $4 million has not yet been earmarked for allocation by the city.
Council is slated to vote on the ARPA allocations at its June 27 legislative session.
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