06 February 2021

REMOTE ZOOM Mesa City Council Study Session Thu 02.04.2021 Streaming From The Lower Chambers

Thursday's early morning meeting was a notice-able changeover with City Manager Chris Brady taking on a role as an intermediary rather than the main character for about 35 minutes. Hizzoner John Giles opened the meeting doing  the Roll Call (Item 1) where respondents usually state "present" to answer the call - with simply stating "I see all the city council is here." However, we the viewers do not see them on multi-screen.

Image result for zoom meeting

The mayor does not ask if any members of the public are participating electronically at the same time remarking that none of the items on the Consent Agenda for Monday February 8th have been asked to be removed for individual consideration, so asks the city manager that Item *5-d is given some attention. Here's the Resolution and a link with the attachments provided:

File #: 21-0143   
Type: Resolution Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 2/8/2021
Title:

Authorizing the City Manager to suspend enforcement, temporarily modify, or approve alternatives to requirements or specifications in the Mesa City Code, related to outdoor seating and services for businesses and organizations, to mitigate the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during the Declaration of Emergency. 

This resolution is intended to assist businesses and other organizations that are operating in a limited capacity due to the pandemic, or otherwise effected by the pandemic. (Citywide)

Attachments: 1. Presentation, 2. Council Report, 3. Resolution

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The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 made $25 billion available to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency Rental Assistance payments were made directly to states, U.S. territories, local governments with more than 200,000 residents, and Indian Tribes.

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, will provide eligible renter households with payments for security deposit, rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs, utilities and home energy cost arrears, and other expenses related to housing incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Those qualified may receive assistance for up to 12 months with an additional three-month extension on a case-by-case basis

Income loss due to:

  • Unemployed or not working for more than 90 days;
  • A reduction in household income; or
  • Homelessness/Housing instability

PPP Loans and Expense Deduction

The new law clarifies that business expenses paid with forgiven PPP loans are tax deductible.

IRC Section 179D Made Permanent

The IRC section 179D deduction has been made permanent, representing a significant opportunity for architects, engineers, and contractors. This deduction (up to $1.80 per square foot) applies if these professionals are encouraging the green, energy-efficient design of public buildings. This includes improvements to the building envelope, lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water systems.

Although the architect, engineer, or contractor doesn’t own the public building, they could be allocated what resembles a free deduction from the government entity. Because it is calculated based on square footage, a large high school, elementary school, or public library could yield a sizable deduction to the architect, engineer, or contractor. This concept also applies to owners of commercial buildings. IRC section 179D encourages energy-efficient designs while reducing energy costs for all.

Meal Deduction

The 100% deduction for business food and beverage has returned for 2021 and 2022. This includes carry-out and delivery meals.

 

The CPA Journal
Hidden Gems in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2021
On December 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), a 5,593-page combination of coronavirus ...
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What Does the Consolidated Appropriations Act Mean to ...

www.policymed.com › Congress
www.policymed.com › Congress
... Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, ... The Act allocates additional COVID-19 ...
3 days ago · Uploaded by MedCity News

 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 – Direct Aid To Education, Healthcare And Other Sectors May Indirectly Benefit State And Local Governments

January 14, 2021 https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-consolidated-appropriations-act-8660575/

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”) supplements the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (the “CARES Act”) by providing approximately $900 billion in additional federal aid to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Act excludes state and local governments from direct financial relief, a major sticking point in the final weeks of negotiation.  Nevertheless, the Act’s targeted aid to particular sectors, including K-12 and higher education, healthcare, transportation and housing, should provide some aid to state and local governments, albeit indirectly, as highlighted below.

Deadline Extension

  • The Act extends the deadline for expenditures from the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, a CARES Act grant program for state and local governments, from December 30, 2020 to December 31, 2021. The Act does not broaden the use of funds beyond necessary expenditures incurred due to COVID-19, however, a CARES Act requirement.

Healthcare

  • $8.75 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for activities to plan, prepare for, promote, distribute, administer, monitor and track COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including:
    • $4.5 billion for state and local governments, territories and tribal organizations; and
    • $300 million dedicated to high-risk and underserved populations, including racial and ethnic minority populations and rural communities.
    • Such funding is to remain available until September 30, 2024.
  • $25.4 billion to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, a CARES Act grant program for hospitals and healthcare providers administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including:
    • $22.4 billion for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, containment, and mitigation to monitor and suppress COVID-19, including $2.5 billion to improve testing capabilities and contact tracing in high-risk and underserved populations, including racial and ethnic minority populations and rural communities, to remain available until September 30, 2022.
    • $3 billion to reimburse eligible healthcare providers for healthcare-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to COVID-19, to remain available until expended.
  • The Act also allocates not less than 85% of unobligated balances in the Fund to reimburse eligible healthcare providers for financial losses and changes in operating expenses occurring during the third or fourth quarters of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021 due to COVID-19.

Nutrition and Food Appropriations

  • $100 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for grants to states to fund fiscal year 2021 administrative costs associated with administering the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transportation

  • Approximately $9.8 billion for the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP), a federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STBGP provides funding to state departments of transportation to address state and local transportation needs.  The funding is to remain available until September 30, 2024.
  • $14 billion in transit infrastructure grants for public transportation projects, to remain available until expended.
  • $2 billion for airports (with the bulk of the funding dedicated to large commercial service airports).

Education

  • Approximately $82 billion to the Education Stabilization Fund, a multi-fund CARES Act grant program for states, K-12 schools and higher education institutions administered by the U.S. Department of Education, to remain available through September 30, 2022, including:
    • Approximately $54.3 billion dedicated to state educational agencies through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, to assist public schools in addressing learning loss, improving and repairing school facilities in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and purchasing education technology, among other eligible costs.
    • Approximately $4.1 billion dedicated to state governors through the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund, to assist K-12 schools and higher education institutions in providing educational services and supporting ongoing functionality, with $2.75 billion set aside for private schools. The funding of vouchers or scholarship programs is prohibited.
    • Approximately $22.7 billion dedicated to higher education institutions through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, to fund lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses, technology costs due to the shift to online learning, faculty and staff training, payroll, student support activities, and financial aid programs, among other eligible costs. The funding of recruitment activities, athletics facilities, religious instruction or senior administrator or executive salaries, benefits or bonuses is prohibited.
  • States and state educational agencies receiving funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund or the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund must agree to maintain spending for both elementary and secondary education and higher education in fiscal year 2022 at least at the proportional levels of such state’s spending for elementary and secondary education and higher education relative to such state’s overall spending, averaged over fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Secretary of Education may waive this requirement for states experiencing a precipitous decline in financial resources.
  • States, local educational agencies and higher education institutions must continue to pay their employees and contractors during the period of any disruptions or closures due to COVID-19, to the greatest extent practicable.

Broadband

  • Approximately $7.5 billion to expand broadband internet access, including the establishment of an Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to fund a maximum $50-per-month internet service discount for low-income households.

Housing

  • The Act extends the CDC’s residential eviction moratorium until January 31, 2021 and provides $25 billion in additional emergency rental assistance.
  • The Act also establishes a 4% floor rate for calculating the low income housing tax credit (LIHTC), a federal subsidy used in financing the acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income tenants.

With the changing political headwinds in Washington, D.C., a renewed push for direct aid to state and local governments is gaining momentum.  We will continue to monitor these developments and provide further updates as warranted.

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Item 2-a is a brief overview starting with questions at 13:25 that go on until 29:43

 

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