ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Unfilled potholes, uncollected trash, un-mowed grass and, most significantly, fewer police on the street are some of what Allentown says it’s contemplating unless Washington helps it plug a multimillion-dollar budget hole left by the coronavirus pandemic.Pennsylvania’s third-largest city, with a population of over 120,000, Allentown has largely fended for itself amid sharply falling tax revenue.
It’s one of thousands of smaller cities and counties across the U.S. that were cut off from direct aid in the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress in late March.
Local officials in those left-out places are now pleading for a massive cash infusion from the federal government to help them stave off financial.