With federal pandemic relief funds on the horizon in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a plan to refinance the city’s decades-old municipal debt has caused a dispute between the city council and the mayor, which surfaced during a city council meeting on Tuesday night. Harrisburg City Council President Wanda Williams and Vice President Ben Allatt, who is also the finance chair, recently halted debt refinancing legislation proposed by Mayor Eric Papenfuse from moving forward. The proposed legislation would refinance the city’s $25 million debt to reduce the current interest rate of 6.75 percent by half at a cost of $400,000 in legal fees and financial services. Instead of refinancing, Williams and Allatt support paying the debt off in full with cash from the general fund. “It is a priority to pay off the debt,” Allatt told The Epoch Times when reached for comment via email. “I can’t speak for the mayor or the …
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