Maine
Maine’s largest cities and counties lag in spending federal COVID-19 aid
That is the primary story in an ongoing sequence that examines how Maine and its communities have used the once-in-a-generation windfall from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Tales will probably be printed over the subsequent few weeks, two years after President Joe Biden signed the laws into legislation.
Within the two years because the federal authorities rolled out $1.9 trillion in support geared toward easing the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, greater Maine communities are lagging the U.S. in deciding the right way to spend it.
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into legislation in March 2021, giving Maine counties entry to an unprecedented $260 million with about $240 million extra put aside for cities and cities. Second and remaining installments had been delivered final 12 months. It should be budgeted by the top of 2024 and spent by the top of 2026.
Maine’s eight largest counties, plus the cities of Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland and Auburn, had solely spent or finalized plans to spend about $84 million out of $318 million in support, in keeping with the most recent out there federal knowledge by way of the top of September.
That was 26.5 % of their complete allocations, whereas bigger New England communities had obligated 28.8 % of their support and people nationally had been at 38 %, in keeping with a Bangor Day by day Information evaluation. Extra money has been spent since then throughout the state, and people figures don’t embody tough spending plans.
The comparatively gradual rollout of federal stimulus cash in Maine underscores the disagreement amongst native officers about the right way to spend it. Maine counties have fewer duties than others throughout the nation, but they bought the identical shares of cash. A few of them needed to rise up unfamiliar regional processes to allocate support that can run for the subsequent 12 months or two.
“All counties in Maine are form of completely different,” Penobscot County Administrator Scott Adkins stated. “Every one is exclusive, so how they approached this was completely different in every county.”
A couple of third of dedicated funds in these Maine communities up to now went towards authorities companies. The most important initiatives in that class included a $9.5 million Cumberland County workplace constructing in Portland, $5.3 million for broadband growth in Hancock County and $4.6 million for a brand new Androscoggin County sheriff’s workplace in Auburn.
These areas have put 15 % of their support towards COVID-19 prevention in congregate settings, reminiscent of jails, faculties and dense work websites. That was nicely over the nationwide common of lower than 2 % in giant communities.
On the finish of final 12 months, Maine cities, cities and counties had put aside 8.9 % of the funds up to now dedicated within the state towards hazard pay for his or her workers, greater than the area and nation, which every had 3.5 %.
A bigger share in these locations has additionally gone to premium pay bonuses for public workers and nonprofits than in the remainder of New England and the nation. For instance, York County is sending $1.5 million to a Biddeford psychological well being service supplier to open one other location.
“Cumberland and York counties bought proper out in entrance of it, instantly,” Maura Pillsbury, a coverage analyst on the liberal Maine Middle for Financial Coverage, stated. “That they had functions out for nonprofits and group organizations to use for funds and begin going by way of the method. They had been actually proactive about it.”
Cities and counties have been shifting at completely different speeds on main points. When Adkins was the Hancock County administrator, he stated broadband was the large precedence. When he moved to Penobscot County, he stated the objectives had been completely different and centralized round funding initiatives that addressed points with housing, psychological well being and drug dependancy.
“I’ve by no means gained the lottery, however you hear about it,” Adkins stated. “It was crucial, though that is hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, that every greenback was despatched out with the intent for it to be as efficient as attainable as a result of everyone knows that this isn’t free cash.”
Final November, Bangor Metropolis Supervisor Debbie Laurie advised the Bangor Day by day Information that the town was planning to maneuver intentionally. It had not spent any cash as of September however has since laid out a tough price range and dedicated $2 million to a YMCA growth.
Pillsbury stated she hopes native leaders will discover methods to spend the remainder of the cash on new initiatives that can assist profit their communities. Particularly, she stated the communities have to concentrate on areas that can assist individuals get well and rebuild from the pandemic.
“I feel that it’s actually essential for them to hearken to the advocates and the organizations working of their communities to assist people get well from the pandemic,” she stated. “Actually, something that may assist assist people most disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, in our view, that’s what these funds had been supposed for.”
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