Sherrill, Bipartisan NJ-11 Mayors Press Senate to Keep State and Local Funding in COVID Relief Package

Press Release

Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) joined today with a bipartisan group of mayors from the 11th District to highlight the importance of state and local funding for New Jersey's municipalities and urge the Senate to include this critical component in the final legislation. The House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan including $350 billion for state and local relief, including funding for every county and municipality in NJ-11 regardless of population.

"I have been on the ground, on the phone, and on zooms with our mayors since the earliest days of the pandemic, and have seen the incredible work they have done over the last year to take care of our residents," said Rep. Sherrill. "This isn't a red state or a blue state issue. This is about helping to make our communities whole in the aftermath of a public health crisis. The American Rescue Plan includes $350 billion for state and local governments -- funding that will determine how quickly our schools open, help residents can get back to work, and pay our teachers and first responders. The Senate must keep state and local funding in the final COVID relief package."

"Being on the front line as the Mayor of Roseland and as the Chief of the Essex County Sheriff's Office, I have seen firsthand how this direct aid is essential to the economic health of municipalities on both the governmental and small business level," said Roseland Mayor and Chief of the Essex County Sheriff's Office James Spango. "I applaud and thank Congresswoman Sherrill for her efforts in ensuring our district gets the much-needed aid."

"This pandemic has been devastating to municipalities on so many levels," said Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano. "I am hopeful to see the passage of this much-needed relief bill by the House and urge the Senate to keep in all the relief provided. Thank you to Congresswoman Sherrill for her consistent advocacy to get state and local funding back to the communities."

"COVID-19 devastated the local economy, hitting our township budget and taxpayers' wallets hard," said Parsippany Mayor Michael Soriano. "Our residents continue to wonder if they'll have enough money to put food on the table and pay the bills. Finally, the federal government seems to be taking its responsibility to state and local governments seriously. The funding from this bill is critical to our recovery, and will contribute towards making our local economy whole again."

"Residents and businesses have been hurting throughout this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Madison Mayor Robert Conley. "If this COVID relief package funding becomes a reality, delivering support where it can have a true impact, at the local government level, we can seriously consider a 0% property tax increase for 2021 without a cut in services. This will greatly assist our residents and businesses during these challenging financial times. We encourage the Senate to follow the House's strong leadership, and greatly appreciate Congresswoman Sherrill's advocacy!"

"Municipalities across America, both large and small, face significant financial burdens due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, and Morris Township is no exception," said Morris Township Mayor Jeff Grayzel. "The inclusion of direct relief to local governments will prove to be a crucial factor in preventing further strains on the finances of hardworking families by allowing towns to mitigate the pressure on their municipal budgets and continue to keep all of their employees on the job. I applaud Congresswoman Sherrill for being a dependable advocate for municipalities across the 11th District so they can continue to provide the direct services that residents depend on."

"We had to pivot very quickly last year to purchase PPE, plexiglass for offices, upgrading HVAC systems to accommodate new filters, upgrading our IT to allow for remote meetings and these costs were not in our budget," said Chatham Township Mayor Tracy Ness. "Municipalities have been left out of previous relief packages. We need to be included otherwise it ends up as yet another pandemic burden on residents. Congress needs to act on behalf of the people and put the conspiracy theories and hyperpartisanship to rest."

"Thank you to Representative Sherrill for your hard work with Covid relief support for the small communities such as Hopatcong Borough that you represent," said Borough of Hopatcong Mayor Michael Francis. "We have been deeply affected by the Covid virus with well over 1000 cases and 13 deaths and for a small town such as ours that is devastating. We are often overlooked with federal aid because we are so small, hopefully, with this round of aid, the Federal and State will recognize that we are hurting too. I am encouraged by Mikie's efforts to get us this help. The Borough of Hopatcong has spared no efforts or money to keep Municipal offices open to serve our public while protecting our employees. The success of this bill should go a long way to help the Borough sustain our service to the community."

"Today the House of Representatives passed a critical bill to provide COVID-19 relief as we continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic," said Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia. "This bill includes funding for state and local governments that is desperately needed at this time in order to keep first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and government employees on the job. I would urge the Senate not to remove any funding for state and local governments so that we have the resources to keep our community safe until this crisis is behind us."

"Pompton Lakes appreciates the efforts of Congress to get the money being proposed back to our communities to aid us in our COVID relief efforts," said Pompton Lakes Mayor Michael Serra. "We appreciate the Congresswoman's advocacy on this front."

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