Framingham's share of the covid relief funds
The City is getting almost 28Million dollars over a two-year period. This May we should get 14 million and a year from then we will get another 14 million in aid. The Schools are getting around 6 million in aid from the Covid relief fund.
All good news as the money taken from various departments will be given back. The big winners will be water and sewer, but as MEK said last night, there will be a small increase in water rates.
The interesting point came at the end of the FinCom meeting when MEK stated that her estimate of how much revenue is coming from the cannabis shops was low. She now uses the number I first projected back in 2019 around 2 million dollars yearly. Unfortunately, the absent minded FinCom chair didn't inquire about all the money these companies gave to the Mayor in the host agreements and also doesn't include the grow facilities that will pay even more.
It does appear now, that the revenue will not go to the general fund and instead go to a separate reserve account.
I still contend that the cannabis revenue should be used to offset any water rate increases.
http://207.172.210.8:5002/CablecastPublicSite/show/2269?channel=1
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 10:57 AM
12 Comments
12 Comments:
So what exactly does the money in this special reserve fund pay for?
I forgot to mention, in last night’s meeting I asked if we could use the covid money to pay back the OT expense the city incurred when the cops and firemen used because of being quarantined. If you remember when Chief Trask was still here, he stated that he had 8 or 9 officers out because of covid. And everyone was so alarmed. One might deduce that the OT for FPD would be higher than it usually is... but MEK stated that there was more OT related to covid in FFD than the cops. Somehow we never heard about the lack of personal at FFD during the crisis I guess.
I'm not sure if they have a plan for the cannabis revenue.
MEK will know soon what the rules are for what can be reimbursed and what can not of the covid stimulus money. We do know it can't be used to lower taxes.
I would think Covid money should be used for Covid expenses, like the nurses doing the contract tracing, that type of expense, correct?
The city has received some money from the feds earlier this year to cover covid expenses.
This new round is more like the stimulus program from 2008/9.
On the pot money, who will decide where that goes?
I'm guessing the Mayor with CC approval
That is a lot of money for the city to spend. I think it will be an important issue to consider when deciding who to vote for as our next mayor as part of this money will come in after we have elected a new administration.
Did I hear right that the mayor did a public information meeting on this yesterday before she had even informed the district council about the fact the city was getting this money? So much for her promise of transparancy.
that's true... George made reference to that as well
good point on this years election and next years covid relief funding
I want to know who has final say in where the money is spent. If the mayor's ideas are not approved by the district council, then what happens? Does the public have any say in this at all?
the public has no say... until the elections in November
if the CC doesn't approve any spending request from the Mayor, the money stays in either the general fund or in a reserve fund.
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