City of Erie expected to receive approximately $79.08 million
Erie Mayor Joe Schember is today thanking President Joe Biden and Senator Bob Casey for their hard work in passing the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Under estimates that have been received (which may possibly increase) the City of Erie is slated to receive approximately $79.08 million in federal funds to deal with the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Last year, I talked with Senator Bob Casey 3 times about the threat that the pandemic was posing to cities and other local governments across Pennsylvania,” said Mayor Schember. “I stressed the need for federal help to deal with the specific challenges we were facing. He truly listened, and I was impressed with his grasp of our situation. He fought hard alongside his colleagues, advocated for local governments, persisted, and prevailed. I am grateful to President Biden and Senator Casey for their leadership, their commitment to our region, and their advocacy and support of the cities and counties that have been bearing the front-line costs of the pandemic,” stated the Mayor.
“The past year has challenged the City of Erie government like never before. Despite these hardships, our team has exerted strong discipline, by working with our unions to reduce spending, identifying ways to increase city revenues, tackling our long-term debt issue head-on by paying down the city’s debt, and putting us on a path to balance the budget for the next 5 years without an increase in property or income taxes. I commend everyone for stepping up to do their part. Nevertheless, the City has borne heavy costs dealing with the pandemic, including the need for safety modifications, the purchase of PPE and supplies, decreased revenues in taxes and fees, and increased labor costs as a result of employee leave due to exposures as well as confirmed positive cases. We believe that the ARP funds will enable the City to be reimbursed and we hope to be able to use the funding to set the stage for future growth.”
“My team and I look forward to receiving guidance on how these ARP funds can be used by the City of Erie. We will provide more details as they become available.”
