www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 20, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 3
Wallingford among municipalities
eager for stimulus funding
By Sean Teehan
steehan@hartfordbusiness.com
A
s Wallingford trudges
through the coronavirus pan-
demic and all the uncertainty
it's created, Mayor William Dickinson
is sure the town will seek aid, but
isn't sure how to go about it.
Wallingford is currently operat-
ing on a $169-million budget, and
COVID-19's economic impact will
likely put pressure on the finances
of the town and the rest of Con-
necticut's 169 municipalities.
The federal government's $2-tril-
lion federal stimulus program —
known as the CARES Act — has
set aside more than $150 billion for
state, municipal and tribal govern-
ments, but didn't leave a clear blue-
print on how to distribute it.
"Certainly, Wallingford will be in-
terested in participating" in any aid
program, Dickinson said. "[But] it's
unclear what we can use the money
for once it becomes available."
Wallingford isn't alone in playing
the waiting game when it comes to
federal aid, said Joe DeLong, executive
director of the Connecticut Confer-
ence of Municipalities (CCM). Most cit-
ies and towns are waiting to see how
the state will distribute the money.
Under the CARES Act, stimulus
funds are distributed to states,
and directly to municipalities with
500,000 or more residents, DeLong
said. Since Connecticut doesn't have
a single municipality that meets
that threshold, state officials are
in charge of doling out funds. But
since the Lamont administration is
bogged down with more immediate
issues, town leaders are having to
wait their turn, DeLong said.
Continued on page 4 >>
TOWN PROFILE: WALLINGFORD
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The town of
Wallingford,
whose South
Main St. town hall
is shown above,
is trying to figure
out how to get
access to federal
stimulus funds.
PHOTO
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