Here’s how much Stanislaus, Modesto, other cities are getting in latest stimulus funds
The $1.9 trillion federal COVID-19 relief bill will do more than send $1,400 stimulus checks to many of us and extend the $300-a-week in extra unemployment benefits for the jobless.
The stimulus package includes $350 billion in aid for states, counties, cities, U.S. territories and tribal governments. For Stanislaus County and its nine cities, that could mean roughly $196 million in federal help.
The Senate approved the package Saturday and it will now go back to the House for final approval. It has been approved strictly on party lines, with no Republican support. President Joe Biden has said he wants to sign it before the current extra unemployment benefits from the last federal stimulus expire March 14.
The New York Times reported last week that California and its counties and cities are in line to receive $42 billion of the $350 billion. The Times cited a House spreadsheet with a breakdown of the funding. It shows these amounts coming here:
Stanislaus County ($107 million), Modesto ($47 million), Turlock ($16 million), Ceres ($9.2 million), Riverbank ($4.7 million), Oakdale ($4.4 million), Patterson ($4.2 million), Newman ($2.2 million), Waterford ($1.7 million), and Hughson ($1.4 million).
States and local governments would have wide latitude in how they spend the money. The House bill says the $350 billion can be spent to respond to the coronavirus public health emergency, replace revenue that was “lost, delayed or decreased” and “address the (pandemic’s) negative economic impacts.”
Modesto lost $8 million in taxes
Stanislaus County and Modesto representatives said late last week that it was too early to speak about the proposed funding. Turlock’s city manager did not respond to a request for comment.
“We do understand that funding is most likely headed our way ...,” county spokeswoman Amy Carroll said in an email. “We are currently having conversations about what this spending could look like and have made no concrete decisions.
“When we have more specifics regarding our allocation amount and timing, etc, we will be sure to share (that) with the community.”
Local cities and their communities and residents have been hit hard by the pandemic. For instance, Modesto has reported losing about $8 million in general fund revenue from March through June of last year in the early stages of the pandemic.
Aid for families, schools, small businesses
The city’s roughly $140 million general fund relies heavily on sales and other taxes tied to the local economy and primarily pays for public safety.
“This funding is a huge deal for the Valley,” U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, said in a Friday email. “If we get this right, we’ll be able to better support our families, schools and small businesses and use it to build new projects and create more Valley jobs. I’ve been laser focused on bringing more money to the Valley, and this is a big down payment.”
The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package includes more funding for public schools, increased access to health care and more funding for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and vaccines.
Several city managers from Stanislaus County’s other cities did respond last week to requests for comment. For the most part, they said that it still is too soon to know how much money they will receive, that their cities are in the early stages of planning how they could spend it, and that their communities need help.
“We’ve experienced many of the same difficulties that most communities have during the pandemic with regard to loss of small businesses (and large businesses), as well as loss or reduction in a number of our common revenue streams,” Riverbank City Manager Sean Scully said in an email.
Third federal stimulus
He said it will take time to know the full effects of the pandemic. “... We do know that the road to recovery with regard to the known financial effects will take some time” Scully wrote, “and federal assistance is critical to maintaining services and providing the necessary support that is needed to the community that has suffered as a result of the pandemic.”
The $1.9 trillion package, which is called the American Rescue Plan, is the federal government’s third stimulus meant to deal with the effects of the pandemic. The first was the $2.2 trillion CARES Act from March of last year, followed by $900 billion in December.
The first two stimulus efforts have provided relief for the unemployed, small businesses, the homeless, renters and landlords, local government and others. Stanislaus County received $96 million from the CARES Act, and shared some of its funding with its nine cities.
Tens of millions of dollars in other federal stimulus funding also has flowed into the area. For instance, Stanislaus County and its nine cities are getting as much as $36 million to help landlords whose tenants are behind in their rent because of the pandemic. And the Stanislaus Community System of Care — whose members include government, nonprofits and others — was awarded nearly $23 million late last year to help homeless people and those at risk of homelessness.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
