Thirty-seven Massachusetts municipal leaders are asking the Massachusetts federal delegation to extend the deadline to spend CARES Act funding beyond the end of the calendar year.

"The December 31st deadline creates an arbitrary end date by which we must spend this critical federal aid," said a letter sent by the mayors, town administrators, and town managers. "But our needs will surely continue well into the new year and they are likely to keep growing as case counts rise."

Since March, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council has been providing resources and facilitating conversations among municipal leaders. MAPC worked with the leaders who signed onto the letter to coordinate a joint message to the federal delegation.

Since the CARES Act was passed in March, funding has supported local health staffing needs across the Commonwealth, contributing to contract tracing, cluster investigation, and education. CARES dollars have also helped some of the state's hardest-hit communities support quarantine and isolation facilities, supplied these facilities with personal protective equipment, and supported the safe reopening of schools and businesses.

Without another federal relief package and with the December deadline to spend CARES Act funds, municipalities won't be able to meet needs as they arise in the new year. If the deadline is extended, they can make critical investment decisions for the early months of 2021.

In the same letter, officials asked their congressional representatives to pass a new federal relief package that provides critical revenue to communities and regions. Mayors and managers asked that a relief package include expanded unemployment benefits; financial support for local, regional, and state governments; funding to address housing insecurity; support for expanding testing and contact tracing; and significant support for small businesses.

The signatories of the letter included: