PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine municipalities and counties plan to spend American Rescue Plan Act funding on everything from bonuses for front-line workers to infrastructure projects.
Allowed expenses include public health measures, hazard pay for public and private front-line workers, business grants, affordable housing, child care and other costs resulting from revenue losses or budget shortfalls, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Maine’s 16 counties are receiving $261 million and the state’s six largest cities are getting $121.6 million directly from the U.S. Treasury. The Mills administration received a 30-day extension to disburse another $119 million to 479 smaller communities.
“It is our goal to distribute these funds quickly and we expect Maine communities to have them in hand in short order,” said Kelsey Goldsmith, department spokesperson.
Municipalities and counties have some time to figure out how to use the money, but it must be committed by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.
