Resolution from the Upper Darby Democratic Committee to Residents of Upper Darby Regarding Recent Actions of the Upper Darby Township Council

July 28, 2022

In the face of significant loss during a global pandemic, municipalities across the country lobbied their members of Congress for funds to combat the financial effects of Covid-19. Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Congress allocated funds so that municipalities could replace lost revenue and build resiliency against future public health crises. Upper Darby Township was allocated just over $40 million dollars, to be released over 2 years. The first allocation was released in May of 2021, and the second in June of 2022.

Throughout late summer 2021 into early 2022, the Township Administration held several Town Halls and meetings to discuss their vision for how to appropriate the funds and solicit community input. The rules for spending these funds were not finalized until January of 2022, and many municipalities (including Upper Darby) wisely held off on finalizing decisions on how to allocate the funds to meet their communities’ needs until then. When the Administration presented their finalized proposal to Council for approval, Council refused to vote on it.

The Upper Darby Democratic Committee believes that the government can be an agent of good for our entire community. We support Mayor Barbarann Keffer’s proposed allocation of the township’s ARPA funds to replace lost revenue and invest in our valued township employees and first responders, who served the community during the pandemic at real personal risk. We support the allocation of funds to the first Upper Darby Community Center, as well as programs to preserve open space. We support the proposed investment in programs that address gun violence prevention and waste and stormwater issues that have a disparate impact on the health and safety of Upper Darby’s low income and minority communities. These are all permitted uses of the funds and will go a long way towards strengthening our township infrastructure and ensuring that all of our residents can thrive.

The Upper Darby Democratic Committee strongly condemns the three Democrats (Brian Burke, Matt Silva, and Laura Wentz) and three Republicans (Brian Andrusko, Lisa Faraglia, and Meghan Wagner) on Upper Darby Township Council who, by a very slim margin, have continued to delay the release of the ARPA funds. This delay is harming our entire community, as these funds are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in Upper Darby without raising taxes for Upper Darby residents. If the funds are not fully allocated and obligated within a short window, our township risks losing them.

We call on the Upper Darby Township Council Members, who have refused to put the allocation on the agenda and continue to delay the release of the ARPA funds, to release these funds immediately, without further delay, so that the administration can continue the positive work it has been doing.