Luzerne County Council deciding how to select American Rescue Plan funding recipients

Luzerne County Council still needs a plan to rank and choose which applicants will receive federal American Rescue Plan funding, as requests far exceed the $94.3 million available for council earmarks.

Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle said the subject will be discussed during council’s work session Tuesday.

In total, 139 non-county applicants are seeking $218.9 million, according to Columbia, Maryland-based Booth Management Consulting, which is assisting the county. An additional $17.9 million in requests were submitted from within county government.

Radle said she will recommend applicant evaluation by the full 11-member council instead of relying on a committee of several council members or the county administration.

Involving all council members will prevent any accusations that the composition of a smaller committee unfairly influenced the recommended recipients, Radle said.

“No matter how I contemplate a committee structure, it could be perceived as biased,” Radle said.

A committee also would be a waste of time if other council members later end up questioning committee recommendations, she added. Participation by all council members will ensure everyone receives the same information and opportunity to rank applications, she said.

Radle envisions a process in which council scores applicants with procedural guidance from Booth and the county budget/finance division, she said.

Additional public council sessions must be scheduled to review the applications, Radle said, noting council must work around extra meetings already booked to review the county budget.

Target dates for completion also are needed, she said.

Under a revised schedule, Booth is suggesting the county complete evaluations by Nov. 28 so recipients could be notified by the end of November and execute award agreements with the county by the end of this year, according to a recent presentation to council.

Booth is in the process of completing eligibility assessments to determine if submissions meet federal requirements, which could reduce the number of applications under consideration.

Radle said she has asked a Booth representative to attend Tuesday’s work session to provide suggestions to council on how to efficiently complete screening and ranking based on the consulting company’s experience working with other government entities throughout the country.

To comply with federal requirements, county selections must be merit-based using consistent evaluation factors, Booth head Robin Booth had informed council.

Councilman Tim McGinley said council should stick to a tight schedule.

“The point of the American Rescue funding was to keep things running and address needs, so we shouldn’t be sitting on the money,” he said.

Council members have expressed support for a mid-2024 deadline for recipients to complete projects or programs, which would allow time for council to choose replacements if approved ones fall through. All American Rescue funding must be spent by the end of 2026.

McGinley supports full-council participation.

“It would be very difficult to structure a committee in a way that people wouldn’t question it,” McGinley said.

Council already has earmarked $18.6 million of the county’s $112.89 million in American Rescue funds for projects, which is why $94.3 million is remaining.

Separate from the pending requests, Councilman Kevin Lescavage has proposed using $3 million in remaining discretionary American Rescue funds to help avoid a proposed 6.75% tax increase if council does not identify enough cuts or new revenue. This portion of American Rescue funding is in the “lost revenue” category, which means it does not have to conform to approved categories like other allocations.

Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo also has suggested using some American Rescue funds to provide a stipend to low-income and/or elderly property owners.