As negotiations on the next COVID-19 legislative package drag on, cities across America face payroll cuts and reduction, or even elimination of critical services.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors – including Lincoln’s Leirion Gaylor Baird – sent a letter to President Donald Trump reiterating a previous request for $250 billion in relief.
Gaylor Baird along with 290 other mayors signed a letter urging the administration to release more aid as only 38 cities have qualified.
In their letter to Congress, USCM leaders write:
“From the start, cities have been on the front lines of the fight against this disease, coordinating local responses and devoting significant resources to help keep people safe. At the same time, as economies shut down, cities have experienced a precipitous decline in tax revenue – the full impact of which economists expect to grow. Together, these dynamics have decimated city budgets in cities large and small.
“These budget gaps are a direct result of this pandemic, and they are forcing painful decisions, including layoffs, furloughs, and cuts to essential government services when our residents need them the most. The situation is threatening public safety and costing people jobs. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that close to 1.5 million Americans who work in state and local government have entered unemployment since the pandemic began…
“The virus knows no geographic boundaries or party affiliation, and there are budget crises in every state and in cities big and small.
“All of us want to rebound from this pandemic as quickly as possible. But we cannot have a strong recovery without strong cities.”
A full text of the letter is available.