Mayor Larson Speaks on $60 Million in Aid Coming to Duluth

DULUTH, Minn.– After President Biden’s signature for the latest round of COVID relief, the city of Duluth is set to receive more than $60 million in federal aid to make up for losses during the pandemic.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said Friday she’s thrilled with the incoming funds coming into Duluth to help the city get through the pandemic.

Mayor Larson says where the money is going hasn’t been decided yet and will be discussed by other city officials.

She says it could go towards the city’s financial commitments, along with filling city reserves used to make up for losses in revenue like the city’s tourism tax, which saw a 30 percent decrease in 2020.

“There’s not going to be a lot of fun money in it, it’s going to be used to get things done,” said Larson. “Recovery from a pandemic is not just about digging out from the current crisis, it is about how we recover. And we need to be thinking about the pandemic as a trauma.”

Behind Minneapolis and St. Paul, the $60-plus million Duluth received was the highest amount of aid any city got in the state. That was intentional, the mayor says, because of the number of jobs lost in Duluth, and its big tourism and regional influence.

“We don’t just provide services to 86,000 residents, we provide it to the 6.7 million tourists to the 35,000 daily commuters and to people who see Duluth as their retail, as their entertainment, as their healthcare, as their education centers,” said Larson.

As a whole, Minnesota received a total of $4.9 billion, with $2.1 billion going to local governments around the state.

Mayor Larson says more information on the city’s plans for the federal money will be revealed in her state of the city address in the next few weeks.