Mayor Romero Statement on Need for Revenue Replacement from CARES Act Appropriation to Tucson

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero released the following statement after receiving news that the City of Tucson was appropriated approximately $96 million from the $150B Coronavirus Relief Fund included in the CARES Act passed by Congress and signed by the president last month. 

The funding can only be used to reimburse certain expenses related to the City’s COVID-19 response. This includes purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE) and IT/computer equipment given to employees to enable them to work from home when possible, among other items. The funds cannot be used to replace lost revenue resulting from the recent economic downturn according to guidelines released by the U.S. Treasury Department. 

“I am grateful for the leadership of our Congressional Delegation in fighting for Tucson, however, additional action is desperately needed,” said Mayor Romero. “While I appreciate that Congress moved swiftly in appropriating these funds, without the flexibility to use them to replace lost revenue, we will be confronted with difficult decisions.”

 “The budgets of cities and towns throughout the country – including Tucson – are a reflection of their local economies. Our budgets rely on sales tax revenues to fund critical services including our first responders, housing services, transportation, environmental & waste collection, and other services that keep our city running. We need immediate support from the federal government to maintain the services our residents rely on.

“Without flexibility in how we can use these funds, I am concerned that we will have millions of dollars that will be sitting idly that could otherwise be used to maintain critical city services. Our city budget is under enormous strain which is why it is critical that any federal package includes additional support for local governments that are on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic.”

Congress and the Trump Administration are currently negotiating an interim relief package. Local jurisdictions throughout the country are encouraging their members of Congress to not wait for CARES 2, and include language in the interim relief bill that allow CARES Act dollars to be used to offset revenue declines as well as to provide additional financial support for local governments that have seen their budgets severely hit.