Title
Calling on the Mayor of Philadelphia to formally appoint a provisional Chief Recovery Officer position in the Department of Finance responsible for the management and administration of all federal and state grants, or otherwise categorized COVID-19 financial recovery dollars, to the City of Philadelphia until the Mayor and City Council do so jointly determine that the position shall be dissolved.
Body
WHEREAS, On March 10, 2020 the Philadelphia Department of Public Health identified the first case of COVID-19 in the City of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The Mayor of Philadelphia and subsequently the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Secretary of Health issued “Stay at Home” orders to Philadelphia in an effort to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, The Stay at Home order resulted in the closure of area businesses and day-to-day economic activity was nearly eliminated; and
WHEREAS, In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the City of Philadelphia was required to provide emergency response operations, equipment, and facilities to ensure the safety of the people; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is experiencing a significant reduction in revenues while incurring substantial increases in costs; and
WHEREAS, The federal and state governments have responded by providing financial relief to those affected by the loss of operational capacity and increased costs due to the COVID-19 crisis, and made available additional public assistance reimbursements; and
WHEREAS, It is expected that the federal and state governments, as well as non-profit foundations, the philanthropic community, and private sector partners will make available additional funds to replace budget shortfalls or reinstate funding for Philadelphia’s much needed programs and facilities; and
WHEREAS, The purpose of the Chief Recovery Officer is to maximize funding opportunities in the wake and aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis while providing a transparent accounting of funding requests and receivables to the Administration, City Council, and the public-at-large; and
WHEREAS, The Administration has already started the process of bringing together a COVID-19 Steering Committee and additional internal working groups to manage the process of applying and receiving external funding to support our City’s budget; and
WHEREAS, The Chief Recovery Officer reports to the Finance Director and responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) Managing and centralizing applications for COVID-19 financial recovery dollars and subsequent funding streams in order to maximize and prioritize the City’s grant revenues;
(b) Reviewing the application process and spending priorities based on issues of equity;
(c) Monitoring spending of COVID-19 recovery dollars from all sources and through all departments and offices;
(d) Providing, at minimum, monthly reports to City Council President and Chief Clerk for dissemination to all Councilmembers, using a format mutually agreed to by the Council President and the Administration. Reports should acknowledge and address the following:
i. Classifying COVID-19 funding stream by source (i.e. grant, transfer, donation, in-kind gifts, etc.), amount, and intended use or explanation of benefit;
ii. Tracking disbursements or spending of funds received;
iii. Evaluating and comparing all variances between the City’s assumed budgetary dependency on COVID-19 funding streams and actuals in the FY21 budget and Five-Year Plan demonstrating clear a understanding of prevailing budget shortfalls; and
WHEREAS, The position of Chief Recovery Officer is necessary to ensure appropriate attention is given to the eligibility of the City for various grants, reimbursements, contributions and donations in a fair and transparent manner; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Council hereby calls on the Mayor of Philadelphia to formally appoint a provisional Chief Recovery Officer position in the Department of Finance who shall be responsible for the management and administration of all federal and state grants, or otherwise categorized COVID-19 financial recovery dollars to the City of Philadelphia, until the Mayor and City Council agree the position should be dissolved.
End