ACTION ALERT: Urge Legislators to Support Direct Assistance to Cities and Towns
State legislators are likely to decide in the next few days how to appropriate additional federal CARES Act relief funds they placed in reserve for local governments. Please contact your legislators now to urge them to treat cities and towns equitably by providing $150 million in the CARES Act local government reserve fund directly to municipalities! Tell them that, to date, the state has provided no direct allocation to cities and towns to address their COVID-19 related needs, and that there are still no guarantees that county governments will share federal CARES Act dollars allocated to them.
Also let them know that:
-Cities are builders of infrastructure that private industry depends on. When cities are forced to cut spending, economic recovery of the state will be delayed. Future growth will be delayed.
-Municipalities are the primary providers of water and sewer service to North Carolinians, and those utility funds are suffering due to bill non-payments even though they have fixed costs that must be paid.
-Cities and towns are front-line providers of first responders, who have been crucial in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. U.S. Treasury guidance now allows flexibility for recouping these costs.
For North Carolina to emerge strong from the economic effects of COVID-19, the financial health of cities and towns is crucial. Contact your legislator now to let them know that providing equitable assistance to municipalities is a critical part of the state’s economic recovery!
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