Camillo: Town will ‘welcome any relief’ from stimulus
GREENWICH — The town of Greenwich is in line to receive tens of millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan, which the U.S. House of Representatives approved Wednesday and which President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law on Friday.
In addition to direct payments to many Americans as well as extended unemployment benefits, the $1.9 trillion relief package will provide direct relief to municipalities throughout the country after a year of unexpected costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The stimulus package will provide more than $2.6 billion to Connecticut towns and cities, although some details, including how the funds can be spent, remain unclear.
On Wednesday, First Selectman Fred Camillo said he has been told that Greenwich is slated to receive an estimated $32 million in federal refunds for expenses during the coronavirus pandemic and other costs.
For Camillo, the federal funding is another sign for optimism after recent
“Obviously none of the municipalities are going to be fully covered for the damage and setbacks that the pandemic caused, but certainly everyone would welcome any relief they will get coming from Washington, D.C. We’re starting to turn the corner. Things are starting to open up, but certainly we’re not back to full strength in many areas. Yet so this is welcome.” First Selectman Fred Camillo
downward trends in the town’s coronavirus numbers as well as the growing number of town residents receiving the vaccination.
“Obviously none of the municipalities are going to be fully covered for the damage and setbacks that the pandemic caused, but certainly everyone would welcome any relief they will get coming from Washington, D.C.,” Camillo said. “We’re starting to turn the corner. Things are starting to open up, but certainly we’re not back to full strength in many areas. Yet so this is welcome.”
The immediate impact of the grant money is unknown, with many details to finalize before allocations are sent to municipalities such as Greenwich.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, Board of Estimate and Taxation Chair Michael Mason has urged town departments to keep a careful accounting of all expenses that have come up that are related to the pandemic. This kind of federal relief package may be able to address those costs.
“We are working on separating COVID expenses across all departments and any funds that are going to come in that are applicable to that will be applied to those accounts,” Mason said. “That is our No. 1 goal and objective right now. This is exactly what we’ve been saying all along. We sent a letter out on this last year to town departments to keep those expenses separate because we anticipated funding coming in to backfill those costs.”
Town departments have been following this policy for the last year, Camillo said. He credited town Emergency Management Director Dan Warzoha for helping the various town departments know what to do and to keep careful track of all expenses related to the pandemic.
“We were on top of this a year ago thanks to people like Dan and others,” Camillo said. “They sounded the alarm.”
Mason said the BET is “not sure” exactly what the federal money will mean for Greenwich, but he said those questions will soon be answered.
Previous grants for pandemic relief have assisted the Board of Education with its expenses and The Nathaniel Witherell, the town-owned and -operated skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.
“The issue with the grants is always about timing, like when we’re allowed to spend them,” Mason said. “The bulk of the money is going to go to the Board of Education. Nathaniel Witherell is going to get some and the town is going to get some as well.”
Connecticut’s delegation to the House, including U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, a Greenwich Democrat who represents the 4th District, unanimously supported the federal relief plan.
“The American Rescue Plan is one of the most significant pieces of legislation Congress has ever passed,” Himes said in a statement. “It brings direct relief to working families in Connecticut and across the nation and provides aid to states and localities to maintain and restore vital services like fire and police departments that have been affected by the pandemic.”
Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal, a town resident, and Chris Murphy also both voted to approve the plan last weekend.