Letter to the Editor: Praising Local Government’s use of Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act

Editor, River Journal:

Your article on local governments’ use of the funding provided by the American Rescue Plan (“River Towns Use Federal Bucks to Build Back Better,” December 31) showed how well suited our local governments are to finding the best use for emergency recovery funds. Leaders in larger jurisdictions like Ossining, Peekskill, and Cortlandt used the funding to continue ongoing upgrades of crucial infrastructure and to promote vaccination and other public health responses to the pandemic.

Smaller jurisdictions used the funding to address immediate needs made more urgent by pandemic related disruptions. Croton-on-Hudson used Rescue Plan funds to fill the massive revenue gap created by the loss of commuter parking fees. Buchanan applied some of its funding to advance the redevelopment of waterfront property related to the closing of the Indian Point power plant.

The partnership of local and national government that was created by the Rescue Plan combined the financial resources of the U.S. Treasury with local knowledge about addressing local challenges created by the pandemic. That seems like a good model for the effective use of emergency funding, generally.

We are experiencing great examples of the government stepping up to help in a crisis. Thank you for helping document these local successes in our government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marianna Stout
mstout562@gmail.com
914-739-1088
Peekskill, NY 10566

1 Comment

  1. Mariana- Nicely written. I too had an LTE in this paper. We can’t get out the word enough what the Biden administration is doing to help the people of our country.

    Karen Sevell Greenbaum

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