Editorial: Pass Cooper's American Rescue Plan spending proposal now

On July 1, North Carolina local governments – counties, cities and school systems – must have their annual budgets enacted. That’s the law. State agencies – from public parks to county courthouses – need to start a new budget year.

But, as these closest-to-the-people units start a new budget year, they are doing it with a huge unknown – just what state government will be directing their way in support of basic and critical services. All they can do is rely upon what was done last year.

It is not a recipe for prudent spending, responsible governing nor wise fiscal management. It is not their fault.

The fault, dear citizens, is in our legislative leaders and the General Assembly they lead that has failed to pass a state budget. Just who those leaders are, where and when they have been meeting and what they disagree about – is secret. For public dissemination, as revealed by Gov. Roy Cooper and not legislators, is that House leaders want a package that spends about $26 billion and Senate leaders want that lid at $25.5 billion.

What else they disagree on is a mystery and fuel for much conjecture. As is usually the case with these kinds of things, those who really know aren’t talking.

While all this secretive bickering is going on, there is one very important prudent step legislators can take to help get more than $5.7 billion flowing to state agencies and critical community-based services.

Even more significant, these funds, for budgeting purposes, should be kept separate from the state’s overall budget. They are a one-time injection aimed at uplifting those most affected by the pandemic and stimulating areas of the state’s economy knocked down by COVID-19. Further, keeping them separate will make it easier to track the use of these funds to be sure they are being appropriately spent.

They are not meant for – and should not be used – to off-set state funded obligations. More so, they shouldn’t be a disguise that in reality only temporarily offsets unwise and unnecessary tax cuts. Those obligations will still be there when the federal funds dry up.  Our legislators should be honest about the impact and cost of tax cuts.

Cooper’s plan puts these federal dollars to good use at a time when they are most needed.

Legislators should enact his American Rescue Plan recommendations – separately from the state budget legislation – without delay.

While legislators are fiddling around with billions of other state and federal tax dollars, these ARP funds can be put to work now. It is unwise and cruel to make state agencies and local governments – including our public schools – to burn through the limited funds now available when these federal dollars are ready to have an important impact.