Suozzi touts stimulus funds for LI towns, municipalities

The Town of Oyster Bay will get more than $24 million in pandemic relief funds and the Village of Cove Neck will receive just over $30,000.

On Thursday, Rep. Thomas Suozzi touted the funds that Long Island towns and municipalities will receive as part of the American Rescue Plan. The funds he said will help municipalities bounce back by replacing revenue lost during COVID-19.

The American Rescue Plan, a stimulus funding package for local governments tied to the pandemic, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden this spring.

"I fought very hard to get this money," Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said. "It was a tough fight because not everybody in America likes New York, but we succeeded."

The supervisors, mayors and representatives from both Nassau and Suffolk counties gathered at Suozzi's Huntington office were presented with facsimiles of their portion of the $2.2 billion, which was allotted across the state. The municipalities began receiving half of the money in May. The next installment will come in 12 months.

According to Suozzi's office, the largest amount, $24,365,065 will go to the Town of Oyster Bay, while the lowest sum goes to the Village of Cove Neck, which will receive $30,746.

Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said he has to discuss with the town board what to do with the $22,209,010 awarded to the town, but he has an idea.

"I would like to see it spent on long-term projects such as the sewer system in Huntington Station," he said.

Infrastructure projects also were at the top of the list for Bayville Mayor Robert E. De Natale.

"I’d like to see some of our public facilities upgraded, playgrounds, some of the beaches," he said. "Ideally it would be nice to put a water park together for the kids, maybe update some of the service fleet that we have.

Suozzi said the money can be used for pandemic-related expenses, including overtime, personal protective equipment and technology.

"But there is also a big catchall category related to infrastructure where the money can be used for sewer and water and that’s a very big issue for a lot of these communities," he said.