Mayor Sarno states, “The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected many communities throughout our Commonwealth and across our Nation. To help offset these challenges and provide much-needed relief to our residents and business community as possible, my administration has begun to utilize our local allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. To date, my administration has awarded four (4) rounds of ARPA funding to provide relief to small businesses, nonprofits and to our neighborhood councils totaling over $17.1 million, with additional funding scheduled to be awarded in the near future, but we cannot do this alone. It is imperative for the Commonwealth to seize this opportunity to utilize the state allocation of federal money and capital spending authorizations to help our local municipalities recover from the economic challenges of the pandemic. Governor Baker’s legislation, H. 4720, which is currently pending before this committee, would help address many of our local and regional projects and create a good four-letter word – JOBS.”
“Time is of the essence,” Mayor Sarno added. “Per the federal law, ARPA funding must be committed by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026. The clock is ticking.”
