Jackson, Miss. (Northside Sun) – Delbert Hosemann is urging city and county government officials all around Mississippi to not only think big but also to think long-term.
They need to listen to the lieutenant governor as they ponder what to do with nearly $1 billion that collectively fell in their laps when Congress, at the prodding of President Joe Biden, enacted the federal government’s latest round of coronavirus relief.
Argue however you will about whether $1.9 trillion — on top of the nearly $4 trillion Congress had previously allocated to deal with the health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic — was excessive. But assuming Mississippi has no intention of giving the money back, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 has given this state and most of its counties and municipalities the rare opportunity to have enough money to address some serious, longstanding problems with their infrastructure.
Hosemann, in his first term presiding over the state Senate after spending 12 solid years as secretary of state, has been making the rounds to pitch in general outlines what he thinks cities and counties should do with the relief money.
He wants them to partner with state government to repair or replace their water and sewer systems or other critical infrastructure that the federal legislation allows.