coronavirus

Billions in Federal Aid Heading to Massachusetts Cities, Towns

The state and local governments in Massachusetts stand to receive $8.1 billion in the stimulus and spending bill that President Biden signed into law on Thursday

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The state and local governments in Massachusetts stand to receive $8.1 billion in the stimulus and spending bill that President Biden signed into law on Thursday, with anticipated municipal allocations ranging in amount from $10,000 each for Gosnold and Monroe to Boston's $434.68 million.

Breakdowns provided by U.S. Senate Democratic leadership show the levels of aid expected for states, counties and municipalities under the $1.9 trillion legislation known as the American Rescue Plan. According to those estimates, state government aid for Massachusetts clocks in at just over $4.5 billion, with $1.71 billion for the 37 communities that receive direct Community Development Block Grant awards and a total of nearly $368 million for the state's other 314 municipalities.

The legislation also allocates aid for the 14 counties of Massachusetts, a total of nearly $1.337 billion. The county awards are based on population and range in amount from Nantucket County's $2.21 million to $312.58 million for Middlesex County.

"For counties that are not units of local government, these awards will be distributed to the municipalities in the county based on population," the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation wrote in its initial summary of the relief package.

The deadline for communities to use their Coronavirus Local First Recovery Fund dollars is Dec. 31, 2024, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, and the money can be used toward responding to the pandemic and its economic fallout, replacing lost revenue needed to provide government services, and investing in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure. It cannot be used to make pension fund deposits, and municipalities or counties can choose to transfer their award back to the state, the taxpayers group said.

The legislation also includes a new round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding.

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