By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostThe City of St. Joseph could receive nearly $40 million from
the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief and economic stimulus plan pushed by
President Joe Biden and passed by Congress.St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray says the Missouri Municipal League
has calculated what each Missouri city will receive. McMurray notes an
allocation that large will make a big impact on the city budget.“In round numbers, the city budget is $160-to-170 million
total, including capital stuff,” McMurray says, pointing out the city council
has had to cut the city budget due to a drastic drop of revenue during the coronavirus
pandemic. He gives as an example the lack of events at the Missouri Theater and
the Civic Arena due to COVID-19 restrictions, “So, there’s some money there
that can be recouped.”McMurray says the money is intended to offset tax revenue or user
fees lost due to the coronavirus pandemic. A portion of the money can be spent
on infrastructure, including sewers and broadband.The money is expected to come over a two-year period; half
this year, the remainder next year.McMurray says a portion of the money would offset losses in
gaming revenue.“And that’s where we spend a lot of money on some of the
agencies in town like the Chamber (of Commerce) and others that request funding
from the city,” McMurray says. “So, with that being off, perhaps that’s an area
that those lost revenues can be replenished by some of this approximately $20
million that we should be receiving by summer.”McMurray admits the total shocked him.“And we can certainly put it to good use. But I was surprised
to say the least.”

St. Joseph stands to receive a substantial amount from $1.9 trillion package