PRESS RELEASE - Statement from Mayor Keffer on Emergency Council Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7th, 2022
Contact: socialmedia@upperdarby.org

Statement From the Mayor Concerning Emergency Council Meeting Over ARPA Fund Allocation:  

UPPER DARBY, PA: Mayor’s Message - February 7th, 2022 - EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERED at roughly 7:45pm.

Good Evening. The purpose of tonight’s meeting is to set aside any doubts the public and council may have concerning the appropriation of the American Rescue Plan funds and to ensure that township employees continue to be paid and township services continue to be provided. That is why I want to start out this evening with two important facts: 

1) in every Councilors’ folder (and also attached below) is a letter from PLGIT - Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust - certifying that we have $20.8 million dollars, the complete amount of ARPA funding, in a single, segregated bank account, and 

2) because we take the concerns of the public and Council seriously, we are engaging an independent, third-party forensic accountant to examine the township’s financials over the last few months, and, in fact, the last few years. 

It is essential for the credibility of this investigation that it be conducted by an independent, 3rd-party firm. I would like to reiterate that my administration has nothing to hide from the public or Council and we look forward to an independent review of the financial situation which we inherited as well as the situation over the last two years.

We hope the letter certifying the location of the ARPA funds and the forensic review of our books will help alleviate concerns, but the township remains critically low on operating funds without Council approval of the necessary $6 million allocated for “lost revenue” coverage. “Lost revenue” is a federal calculation intended to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March of 2020, on municipal governments which is why the federal government gave the ARPA funds directly to all municipalities throughout the country. It is meant to cover revenue losses such as permit and parking fees, mercantile and business taxes, among other sources. To be clear, the current situation of operating funds is not new or uncommon for Upper Darby. Using ARPA funds to cover this regular cash flow need rather than pursuing a short term financing loan called a TRAN - Tax Revenue Anticipation Note - will save the taxpayers significant money in associated fees and interest costs that come with every loan. 

We never believed we would be at this point in the process during the multitude of conversations, both public and private, that happened with Council members over the last 5 months. Multiple times, we have negotiated with Council members about the ARPA funding, only to have been met with demands for more documentation or, at the last two Council meetings, with surprise documents. At the January 19th meeting, Council Vice President Laura Wentz produced a wildly amended ARPA ordinance in the middle of the vote to advertise the original ARPA ordinance, Ordinance 3111, already before Council.  It was only after I broke the tie that the original ARPA ordinance was advertised and put on the agenda for the February 2 Council meeting.  At that meeting, Councilor Wentz distributed a Treasurer’s report moments before the start of the meeting.  That incomplete and inaccurate report was used by a coalition of council to vote to table the ARPA ordinance. Councilors Siddique, Billups, Hayman, Blackwell and Tunis voted to authorize the release of the ARPA funds and keep employees paid and services provided. 

Myself and members of Council were elected by the people of Upper Darby to serve the people of Upper Darby. Residents, businesses and our employees should not be used as pawns in a political chess game. There’s plenty of time to score political points against me. Again, tonight I am asking Council to approve the $6 million in ARPA “lost revenue” funds and do what’s right for the people and keep the township running smoothly until our regular tax revenues arrive in March. 

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