Illustration by Rich Hauck
In the often-cruel world of municipal finance, it’s not everyday that a bucketful of money drops into your lap.
But that’s what’s happening in cities and towns across the country.
Back in March, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which, in part, gave $350 billion in relief to state, local and tribal governments.
Harrisburg’s share of these “local relief” funds: a cool $48 million.
Now, many months have elapsed since the federal government told Harrisburg how much money it will receive and issued rules on how it can be spent. However, unlike many cities and towns across the country, the real conversation in Harrisburg has only just begun.
In a press conference last month, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that he wanted to use the funds for city pool replacement and a guaranteed income pilot program. Meanwhile, council members have mentioned such things as infrastructure work, COVID expense reimbursement, affordable housing and small business support.
Harrisburg, though, has yet to officially introduce an ARPA plan, the first real step in a long process before these funds can be put to work to help city residents. Some council members also have expressed an interest in public hearings before drawing up a plan.
Personally, I like many of the ideas proposed so far. Harrisburg has plenty of unaddressed needs, and this unexpected bounty could have a huge impact on people’s lives.
I would like, though, to make a case for devoting at least some share to the city’s aged, dysfunctional sewer infrastructure. Let me explain why.
First, ARPA money can be deployed only for certain types of things. Most routine municipal infrastructure projects, such as building or fixing roads or bridges, are not allowed. But, notably, water and sewer projects are permitted.
Secondly, Harrisburg has become a regional poster child for water pollution. Its ancient, “combined” sewer system suffers from two main problems—leaks and sewage overflows. The water/sewer authority, Capital Region Water (CRW), reports that some 800 million gallons of raw sewage mixed with stormwater rush into the Susquehanna River each year.
Obviously, this is a problem for our environment, but also for the people of Harrisburg.
“The ongoing sewage releases are an environmental justice problem that must be addressed so that the people of Harrisburg can safely use their own waterfront to fish and swim,” according to Mary Greene, deputy director of the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington, D.C.-based policy group.
For the past six years, Harrisburg has been under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection to repair and upgrade its outmoded, decaying sewer infrastructure and slash the pollutants damaging the river.
As a result, CRW has embarked on a set of solutions called “City Beautiful H2O,” which emphasizes “green infrastructure” to reduce stormwater flowing into the Susquehanna, as well as other fixes and improvements.
The schedule, however, is long, and the cost is high. CRW has a 20-year time horizon for the project at a price tag of up to $315 million.
To help pay for all this, CRW last year imposed a new stormwater fee on residents and businesses, which raises about $5 million a year. It also has received substantial state support in the form of low-interest loans.
Absent grants, though, nearly all of the cost eventually will be borne by Harrisburg consumers, who generally are in no position to pay it.
So, in my mind, sewer improvements are an all-around winner. They help solve an enormous challenge, offer a cleaner environment and may help relieve residents of high and likely rising utility costs.
It’s like money falling from the sky to help fix a festering, wildly expensive problem.
But there is urgency. Under ARPA rules, cities have just until the end of 2026 to exhaust these funds, which, in the world of capital projects, is not very long at all. In the meantime, Harrisburg must come up with a detailed plan for the money, get public input, fund the projects, deploy the money and undertake the work.
As I mentioned above, many municipalities already are deep into the process for using their funds.
For instance, Chambersburg already has developed, held a public hearing on and approved a list of eight projects, including a stormwater project, for its $7.7 million in local relief money. So, the borough is well on its way to getting a bang for its ARPA bucks.
Not so in Harrisburg.
In Harrisburg, a formal plan has yet to be introduced, much less vital consensus reached between the administration, city council and the public on how to spend the funds. In fact, given the ongoing, grueling conflict between the mayor and council, I don’t expect any real resolution until 2022.
I often say that, in Harrisburg, nothing is easy. This won’t be easy, either. Maybe you agree with my hopes for the ARPA money, maybe you don’t. But, whatever the plan is, we need to get the process rolling.
Lawrance Binda is co-publisher/editor-in-chief of TheBurg.
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