Process needed to pick Luzerne County American Rescue funding recipients

Now that all applications are in, Luzerne County Council must decide which outside entities will receive American Rescue Plan funding.

Approximately $95.9 million in unallocated county American Rescue funding remains for projects and programs.

Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo said he and his 10 colleagues must come up with a well-defined evaluation process and firm deadlines as soon as possible so the funds can be disbursed to address public needs.

If requests exceed available funding, council may be forced to make difficult decisions and decline some worthwhile projects, he said.

Lombardo does not want to end up resorting to council’s earmark approach in 2016, when it received 16 applications far surpassing $70,782 it had available for awards from leftover natural gas recreation funding.

Instead of fully funding a few projects, a council majority provided small equal shares to all 16 so none would be left out. Then-councilman Robert Schnee had proposed that approach after predicting the 11-member body could spend hours debating the merits of each request and still be unable to reach majority consensus.

In the upcoming American Rescue selection, council should first consider requests within county government that meet eligibility requirements, Lombardo said.

He and several other council members already have publicly stated county projects should receive top priority because they alleviate pressure on future county budgets and benefit the county as a whole.

The county received 140 American Rescue applications, but they have not been released because a consultant is determining which ones meet strict federal requirements.

Columbia, Maryland-based Booth Management Consulting, which is performing this eligibility screening, is scheduled to provide an initial briefing during council’s work session Tuesday, which follows a 6 p.m. voting meeting at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

During a pre-application process earlier this year, the county had received more than $186.8 million in funding requests — $171.58 million from more than 100 outside entities and $15.26 million from county government departments, the administration has said.

All American Rescue funding must be spent by the end of 2026. However, some counties and local governments are requiring recipients to complete their projects by mid-2024 to ensure the deadline is met and allow time to choose replacements if approved projects fall through, consulting company head Robin Booth had informed council.

Council committee

Councilman Brian Thornton said he has been thinking about a fair selection process for both the American Rescue funding and natural gas funding. Thornton chairs council’s Act 13 Committee, which makes recommendations on the natural-gas earmarks.

Thornton has scheduled this year’s first Act 13 Committee meeting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the courthouse to discuss making awards from a leftover balance that will be tallied before the meeting.

Although council did not end up providing natural gas earmarks last year, Thornton said this funding is generally available to make awards annually, warranting a different approach compared to the one-time American Rescue windfall.

Regarding the natural gas funding, Thornton said he will recommend accepting recreation-related applications from municipalities and other outside entities, ranking them and then making awards to the top ones on the list based on the money available this year.

Worthy projects not funded this year would then remain at the top of the list for next year’s funding under his proposed plan. New requests could be added annually, creating a running priority list as funds become available, Thornton said.

Thornton said he does not agree with council’s 2016 even-split solution for natural gas earmarks because outside entities may be unable to complete projects without the amount requested, defeating the purpose.

On the American Rescue decision, he proposes council create a committee to evaluate requests and make recommendations to the full 11-member body.

Thornton suggests council members from different parts of the county serve on the committee so there are no accusations that one region has an advantage.

Like Lombardo, he supports addressing eligible county projects first as long as a significant portion would still be left for outside allocations.

In Thornton’s view, preference should go to outside entities proposing programs that will address the negative academic and mental health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think everybody should stay focused on why this money was given to us. It was really intended to help organizations or people who suffered setbacks in life because of COVID. Everyone had setbacks, but some groups suffered more than others,” Thornton said.

He pointed to reports of children struggling scholastically and psychologically due to the pandemic, saying he believes some entities have submitted applications to address those needs.

Thornton said he wholeheartedly supports recreation projects but does not personally believe they should be top candidates for American Rescue funding because the county has the natural gas award option and state grants also are available for recreation.

He agreed council must act swiftly in setting up a plan.

The county administration has offered to assist council by evaluating and recommending projects, but that investment of resources would not be necessary if council takes the lead.

According to county summaries, the American Rescue funding was intended to “lay the foundation for a strong and equitable economic recovery” from the pandemic and can be used for a range of purposes, including water and sewer infrastructure projects, broadband enhancements, public health programs and assistance for small businesses and nonprofits, officials said.

Instructions to remotely attend council’s Tuesday meeting and Thursday’s Act 13 Committee meeting are posted under council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.