As congress awaits approval on the coronavirus relief bill, city finance officials said they are concerned because there is no direct relief in the stimulus for local governments. 

Political leaders who oppose relief for cities argue it would be a bailout for being fiscally irresponsible. 

"If you don't have forward progress, you're not going to survive in the long run," Youngstown Finance Chair Lauren McNally said.

She said previous CARES Act funds and voluntary furloughs got the city through the pandemic thus far but now, she said they're budgeting by a shoestring.

McNally said they assumed there would no new city relief for 2021 and did plan as such. 

"We're going to go in really really slim," she said.

She said projects already encumbered from previous years that are already signed off will continue, such as road projects, but she added many other expenditures like new equipment for the city will be put to the sideline for at least six months.

Youngstown will be taking new approaches and re-thinking their purchasing policies to create more oversight, so they can keep workers employed and services intact, she said. 

However, she says without the economic boost forward, the city is in pause. 

"It sure would have helped us continue to move forward," she said, "We can't move forward as a city next year we're going to have to maintain and that's disappointing."

The city of Warren also said they're in the same boat and that no new relief leaves them short-handed. 

"I think there's a long road ahead," Third Ward City Councilman Greg Greathouse said, "If we're out of this by this time next year, we've played out cards right."

Both Warren and Youngstown said they don't expect to have any immediate cuts of employment or safety services, but the margin of error in their budget will be a lot tighter making for an uncertain future ahead.