Within a month, Bartholomew County government will begin to receive a large infusion of federal dollars.
A total of $16.2 million is expected through the American Rescue Plan, Bartholomew County commissioner Tony London said.
Abut $8 million will be received on or before May 11, county auditor Pia O’Connor said. The remaining amount will be received next year, she said.
In addition, Hoosier schools will be receiving their own batch of money separate from other funds, London said. In an interview last week, Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, estimated that between $2.9 billion to $3 billion in federal funds will become available for K-12 education in Indiana. Raatz is chairman of the Indiana Senate Education and Career Development Committee.
This isn’t the first infusion of federal funds received by county government since the pandemic began. In May, 2000, Bartholomew County government officials learned they were eligible for $2.68 million through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
While the CARES Act focused more on businesses, the American Rescue Plan Act prioritizes direct payments and unemployment assistance, as well as funnels $350 billion to support state and local governments. That’s over twice the CARES Act’s $150 billion.
In terms of infrastructure, the new funds can help make necessary investments in water, sewer and rural broadband internet, O’Connor said. It also modifies the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Premium Tax Credit, which helps cover health insurance premiums.
The new act also provides an $83 billion bailout of multi-employer pension plans, which generally pay benefits to union workers. It also allocates $28 billion to the Federal Transit Administration’s grant program to support public transit and $41 billion in housing support such as emergency rental assistance and housing vouchers.
All recipients must spend their money by the end of 2024, or the funds will revert back to the federal government, London said.
Since the $8 million could arrive at any times, the county commissioners have established a new fund where O’Connor’s office can place this one-time source of revenue when it arrives, as well as withdraw money to pay for qualifying expenses.
While the county commissioners will make decisions on how the money will be spent, the Bartholomew County Council is still required to appropriate the money the same way they must approve other grant funds received by various departments.
But since these funds are intended to provide a stimulus to the economy, “we are going to be wanting to spend some of this money as soon as possible,” O’Connor said.
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The Bartholomew County commissioners and the Bartholomew County Council will meet in a work session at 11 a.m. Monday at the county council chambers at 440 Third St.
The meeting is in person or via Zoom for participants and is via Zoom for media and interested members of the public.
The meeting is to discuss federal funding coming to the county from the American Rescue Plan.
Those interested in watching the meeting should contact the Bartholomew County Auditor’s office at (812) 379-1510 to request a link to the meeting’s Zoom login.
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