Committee reviews $6.5 million roll-forward and ARPA reauthorization tied to capital projects and demolitions

The Harrisburg Budget & Finance Committee reviewed Resolution 5 of 2025 at a work session, a proposed budget reallocation to reclassify certain allocations, authorize roll forward of encumbered 2024 commitments and reaffirm certain 2024 capital project appropriations. Brian McCutcheon, accounting manager, presented the schedule and said the total rolling forward across five funds was approximately $6,500,000.

“The total encumbrances rolling forward, for all these funds, total, to approximately, 6,500,000.0. And the majority of that rests inside the general fund, which is approximately 5,500,000.0,” Brian McCutcheon said during his presentation. He attributed a large portion of that general fund amount to project work including a Broad Street Market restoration and facilities capital items such as HVAC and electrical rehabilitation at city buildings.

McCutcheon said two line items account for about $3.2 million of the $5.5 million general fund figure: roughly $2.1 million for the Broad Street Market restoration project and about $1.0 million for facilities and special projects capital expenditures. The remainder of the roll-forward request brings the overall total to about $6.5 million across the general fund, state liquid fuels tax fund, neighborhood services fund, parks and recreation fund, and the capital projects fund.

Breakdown provided in the work session included approximately $235,000 in the State Liquid Fuels Tax Fund for streets and projects, about $715,000 in the Neighborhood Services Fund, roughly $3,700 in Parks and Recreation (City Island budget unit), and capital projects amounts tied largely to streets-and-roads work and the Capital Gateway Project.

The item also included a reauthorization of prior ARPA allocations. A law bureau representative summarized Exhibit B as a reauthorization that lists major allocations the council previously approved so bureaus and vendors can continue project activity. “The second page tells you the major allocations that are left, what the council made, what was spent, what wasn't,” the law bureau summary said; staff emphasized that without reauthorization the bureaus could not continue project work tied to those allocations.

Committee members asked detailed questions. Councilman Jones asked why some ARPA items, such as delinquent trash-bill assistance or senior programming, had not moved forward; staff said these projects require detailed program criteria and additional workload and that the mayor’s office was evaluating outside assistance for some items. Councilman Rodriguez asked about demolition funding; John (operations/public works) said the outsourcing bid for demolition used about $1,000,000 and had reduced to roughly 10 properties, while about $500,000 supported in-house demo equipment purchases including an excavator and two high lifts.

Councilwoman Ross asked whether unspent council line items could be reallocated—she cited a $10,000 youth commission line. Legal counsel said the council could make that amendment and staff would prepare an exhibit for legislative consideration. On the question of creating or funding new boards such as CLEAC or an EAC, legal counsel said that establishing a funding source that did not previously exist would likely require legislation or ordinance changes rather than a resolution.

No formal vote was taken in the work session. Multiple council members said they would recommend placing the roll-forward and ARPA reauthorization on the next legislative agenda for formal action.

If approved at the legislative session, the roll-forward would recognize prior-year encumbrances as uses of beginning fund balances and allow vendors and bureaus to proceed with projects such as the Broad Street Market restoration, Capital Gateway Project work and demolition contracts.