When: Lancaster City Council meeting, May 24.
What happened: Council unanimously approved an ordinance to appropriate an additional $924,890 of COVID-19 federal funding as revenue replacement. The bill is funding the last year’s police and fire bureau operations after March 3 through Dec. 31, 2021.
Why it matters: The bill appropriates funds otherwise reserved for revenue replacement to make up revenue losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city. The goal is lessening the annual budget deficit, thus preventing the city from needing to raise taxes to continue to provide critical services, council President Smith Ismail Smith-Wade-El said.
Background: Last December, $3.16 million in rescue plan funds was approved by council to be counted as revenue replacement. However, the U.S. Treasury changed the revenue loss calculation as of January, making the city eligible for almost $1 million more in revenue replacement funds for a total of $4.1 million. The revenue loss calculation will also apply to federal COVID-19 funding in 2023 and 2024. The bill had a first hearing at council’s May 10 meeting.
Reservoir Park: Susie Gomez, city resident and homeowner of 23 years, addressed council about Reservoir Park and street cleaning, among other topics. “The park, we can’t even clean it anymore and there are so many markings and smudges. … I keep hearing that you’re setting aside funding, but here we are four years later,” she said. Gomez also asked if city streets are being cleaned regularly, to which Stephen Campbell, the city’s director of public works, confirmed they have visual and recorded records of streets being cleaned. He did point out that there are large instances where people do not move their cars. These cars are then being ticketed. “Our hope is that by ticketing, people get the message that in order to get the streets clean, they better actually move their cars,” he said.
Abortion: Lancaster City Council also approved a resolution stating where they stand when it comes to abortion rights. The resolution is recognizing a woman’s right to reproductive health care and condemns the pending U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. “The text of the resolution is pretty straightforward and seeks to make clear where council stands on this rather important matter and indeed where most of our community stands as we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks,” Smith-Wade El said.
What’s next: Lancaster City Council will meet again June 6 for a committee meeting.
