Murrysville officials examine how federal covid relief funds can be spent
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Murrysville will be eligible for about $2 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, meant to help offset the financial strain of the covid-19 pandemic on local and state governments.
Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim Morrison said half the funding should arrive by the end of July, with the second half coming in 2022. The funds are distributed to local governments by the state.
Council members recently discussed how that money can be spent.
Two categories were of particular interest: replacement of public-sector revenue lost during the pandemic, and infrastructure projects such as water and sewer lines and broadband Internet access.
“What they’ve attempted to do is acknowledge that during the 12- to 15-month period of the pandemic, local governments suffered by way of revenue losses,” Morrison said.
For example, Murrysville officials were unable to rent park facilities during the summer of 2020, and revenue the municipality typically would see from the state’s liquid fuels fund — generated in proportion to the amount of fuel purchased by commuters, tourists and haulers — is down after a slow travel season in 2020 and fewer motorists on the road in general.
“This is probably the least restrictive category of any of them,” Morrison said. “It could go toward maintenance-type activities that may not have occurred because of our reduction in revenue, and you can also fund infrastructure projects including roads.”
Another category is investment in water and sewer lines and broadband Internet infrastructure.
“The federal government finally recognized that there are many areas underserved when it comes to broadband service,” Morrison said. “We’ve been working with the county to get them to initiate a broadband policy and infrastructure project. It’s very early at this point, but there is definitely a need for (expanded) broadband service.”
Funding from the American Rescue Plan must be either spent or allocated by the end of 2024. Morrison said the final guidance on spending has not been issued.
“We’ve started working on a list of projects we believe will fit into one of those categories,” he said. “It’ll be interesting. Everyone will be fat and happy with this money, looking to do projects, and there are only so many contractors around to do the work.”
Once the first portion of federal funding comes in, Morrison said staff would bring a preliminary list of potential projects before council.
Other business
• Council approved contracts for work on the crosswalks at the intersection of Vincent Hall Road, Sardis Road and Old William Penn Highway. Old William Penn is under construction, with milling and paving scheduled to wrap up July 21 between Route 22 and Cline Hollow Road.
• Council approved a $10,300 contract with Kellner’s Fireworks to purchase and provide a fireworks display for the Concert in the Park, set for Aug. 14 at Murrysville Community Park on Wiestertown Road.