Pa., Chesco, municipalities to get funds from American Rescue Plan

Chester County and its municipalities are expected to receive an estimated $153 million in total federal pandemic relief through the recently passed American Rescue Plan (ARP), state Senator Carolyn Comitta said.

According to estimates from the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee, Chester County will receive $101.82 million in estimated relief and its 73 municipalities will receive an estimated $51.9 million in total relief under the ARP’s State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Funds.

Estimated allocations for each of Chester County’s municipalities are available below.

The $1.9 trillion ARP, the third Federal COVID-19 Stimulus package, was passed and signed into law by President Joe Biden this week. It includes $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, as well as $45.57 billion for municipalities with a population of at least 50,000 and $19.53 billion for municipalities with fewer than 50,000 residents.

“In addition to providing direct relief to families, extending unemployment benefits, expanding child tax credits, supporting food assistance, housing, and educational programs, and expanding relief to restaurants and small businesses, the ARP allocates significant funding to our local communities,” Comitta said. “As we begin to look to the future and the promise of defeating this virus, these funds will prove crucial in rebuilding our economy through investments in people, families, businesses, and important community projects.”

The ARP provides emergency funding to ensure that communities have access to critical services. According to the Congressional Budget Office, funding for states and local communities provides the biggest bang for the buck when it comes to economic relief.

In total, according to estimates from the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee, the Commonwealth is expected to receive $13.722 billion in state and local relief, including:

$7.293 billion for state government.
$2.843 billion for counties.
$2.371 billion for metropolitan cities.
$936 million for municipalities.
$279 million for state capital projects.

The state capital project funds will be directed to state and local governments to invest in capital projects related to enabling remote work, education, and health monitoring in response to COVID-19.

According to the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will oversee and administer these payments to state and local governments, and every county would be eligible to receive a direct allocation from the treasury. Municipalities and counties are expected to receive funds in two allotments – with 50 percent this year and the remaining 50 percent no earlier than 12 months from the first payment. The U.S. Treasury is required to pay the first allotments to counties no later than 60-days after enactment, and second payment no earlier than 12 months after the first payment.

Estimated allocations for municipalities in Chester County are as follows: