St. Cloud Will Get Nearly $16 Million From COVID Relief Bill

(KNSI) – St. Cloud will get almost $16 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed into law on Thursday by President Joe Biden.

The COVID-19 relief package gives about $15.7 million to St. Cloud out of the more than $1.8 trillion bill.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis was a guest on KNSI’s Ox in the Afternoon with Dan “The Ox” Ochsner and says the money will help make up the city’s 10 million dollar shortfall.

“It doesn’t get us to whole but it takes us a long way. This is extremely helpful. The $10 million last year, we just absorbed that by by delaying some road projects and not doing some things that we would otherwise do.”

Kleis says he’s not sure exactly how the city will be allowed to spend the $15.7 million.

“That we have to read yet. All we know is the dollar amounts. I am assuming there’ll be some type of rules. Congress passes something and then the bureaucracy takes over and makes it more challenging.”

He says federal funds are usually very restrictive.

Kleis says he would like to use the money to backfill accounts that went negative for St. Cloud, such as parking. St. Cloud would also like to do some road and sewer projects that were delayed because of the loss in sales tax revenue.

St. Cloud was forced to shift a lot of money around to cover public safety and other issues related to the pandemic.

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