ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Mayor Kathryn Thalman and other city officials welcomed U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson to the city Monday.

Johnson, who appeared with Gov. Mike DeWine earlier in Martins Ferry to recognize the revitalized East Ohio Regional Hospital, stopped by to speak about what the city might expect in terms of American Rescue Plan funding and the challenge of putting those resources to use.

The city is in the midst of a changeover to purchasing water from Belmont County, in conjunction with the county’s own extensive ongoing water and sewer system upgrades. The city is establishing water connections and scheduling replacement of aging waterlines.

“Any money we can get, especially for infrastructure, we’ll be very appreciative,” Thalman said, adding $1.1 million is projected for the city.

“I’m not sure they’ve even got the rules finalized, because that money will not come without strings attached,” Johnson said. “We haven’t seen what those final rules are.”

He said the way money is allocated can be confusing.

“Some of our rural hospitals don’t qualify for federal programs because they are considered part of a bigger metropolitan area,” Johnson said. ” … Townships were left out altogether, of the formula. The county commissioners have some discretion, and there is more money coming than counties and communities know how to spend between the president’s budget, the upcoming infrastructure bill and the American Rescue Plan, you’re talking about nearly $10 trillion.”

He said this is further complicated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on supplies and material cost and availability.

“So many things that we are dependent upon, like the PVC pipe for infrastructure, a lot of it can’t be gotten because everything’s coming from China,” Thalman said.

“We’ve got a big problem with supply chain issues with other countries including China, whether it’s rare earth minerals for chips, or automotive, or silicon for solar cells,” Johnson said, adding China persists in human rights violations. “We’ve got a big problem with our supply chain from China. I’ve got major concerns about where the virus came from and how the virus got out, and I’m hoping that one day we will find out the truth.”

“It just frustrates me,” Thalman said. “When we get this money it’s going to just be there and you’ve got this long to spend it, we can’t get the pipes.”

Johnson said he has spoken to small business owners, manufacturers and distributors who have experienced a 100-percent increase in cost of materials or a seven-times increase in monthly shipping costs among distributors.

Johnson added he believes there may be price gouging, but this is difficult to determine and control when it involves U.S. companies rather than a global supply chain.

“There’ll be money for everything, but we want to be able to take advantage,” Thalman said. “I for one am sick of hearing St. Clairsville’s got too high a median income. We’re the ones who pay all the taxes. I get so tired of hearing about Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. … Our guys … are out at 2 a.m. trying to fix pipelines that are 100 years old.”

Johnson advised the city to maintain a close working relationship with the county commissioners, since funds will come through that office first. He pledged his office’s support for local grant applications.