Reports

We recommend that the City Council accept the City Auditor’s preliminary review of documentation for COVID-19 related costs to support receipt of emergency public assistance through the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF).

The primary objective of this report is to show Missouri's spending of federal assistance in the month of August 2020 for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency and the cumulative financial activity since the state began receiving funding in April 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a fiscal emergency for the City of New York, creating significant revenue shortfalls and increased costs associated with managing the public health crisis. Federal relief funding has been inadequate in helping resolve the budget gaps emerging from the fiscal emergency. In response, the City has requested since May that its Transitional Finance Authority (TFA) be provided with authorization by the State Legislature to borrow up to $5 billion to maintain spending and make up for lost revenues not reimbursed by the federal or State government, a practice referred...

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the securities industry in New York City, affecting both operations and profitability. After a period of market turmoil in March, monetary stimulus and fiscal relief actions have injected massive liquidity into the economy and buoyed industry profitability. Much of the industry’s work force began working remotely in March. The industry has remained relatively stronger than other sectors, which have experienced a more severe downturn (i.e., hotels, bars, restaurants and retail).

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is facing the greatest challenge in its history. On March 1, 2020, New York City reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory disease. In the weeks that followed, the caseload grew rapidly in New York City and the downstate region, and the novel coronavirus then spread across the nation. The MTA forecasts budget deficits of $3.4 billion in 2020, $6.3 billion in 2021, $3.8 billion in 2022, $2.8 billion in 2023 and $3.1 billion in 2024. The July Plan’s projected budget gaps are historic in nature. The gap in 2021...

The primary objective of this report is to show Missouri's spending of federal assistance in the month of July 2020 for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency and the cumulative financial activity since the state began receiving funding in April 2020.

Since March 2020, the restaurant industry has been hit very hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandatory closures, stay-at-home and social distancing orders, the onset of a severe economic recession, and travel restrictions have resulted in unprecedented upheaval for the industry. As a result, many restaurants and bars have closed or significantly reduced their operations. Since these establishments often operate on tight margins in the best of times, there are growing fears that many will be forced to close permanently if financial support is not forthcoming.

In March and April 2020, Congress passed four stimulus bills to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the public health system and the economy. As Congress debates additional relief measures, it is worth reviewing the targeting of the initial funding in order to inform new policy to counter the virus and its economic effects. In the third stimulus bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress appropriated $150 billion to the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to provide direct funding to state and local governments. The use of CRF funds is restricted to...

This letter report identifies 18 state agencies that will each be responsible for managing a portion of the federal COVID‑19 funds. Before finalizing our determination to add this issue to the state high risk list, we notified the 18 responsible state agencies about our preliminary determination and invited them to provide their perspective on the issue. We received responses from 12 of the 18 state agencies, and we summarize those responses at the end of this letter.

The primary objective of this report is to show Missouri's spending of federal assistance in the month of June 2020 for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency and the cumulative financial activity since the state began receiving funding in April 2020.