Bourbon Eligible For Over $291,000 Through ARP

The city of Bourbon is eligible for more than $291,000 through the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law March 11.

A major component of the law is money allocated to states, counties and municipalities.

ARP sends $65.1 billion in direct aid to every county based on population and another $65.1 billion to cities based on a modified HUD-CDBG formula.

As a state, Missouri would receive $500 million.

The deadline for spending the money would be Dec. 31, 2024.

Bourbon would potentially receive their first allotment within 60 days and the other half at some point in 2021.

The money could be used for a variety of ways, including investments in water, sewer and broadband Internet.

The Bourbon City Council met March 16, but did not discuss what it would use the money for.

Bourbon has set out to build a UV disinfectant program at the wastewater treatment plant.

Cuba is the largest recipient in Crawford County, slated to receive more than $606,000.

Steelville will receive more than $303,000.

Cities and counties can use the direct aid to:

-Plug revenue holes using 2019 pre-pandemic budgets as the basline;

-Cover increased expenditures and mitigate economic harm from the pandemic;

-Provide up to $13 per hour in “premium pay” for essential workers or $25,000 per worker;

-Transfer funds to private nonprofit groups, public benefit corporations involved in passenger or cargo transportation; and,

-Make investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure through a state-administered program.

States must distribute funds to smaller municipalities within 30 days of receiving payment from the federal government.

The United States Department of Treasury could withhold up to half a state’s allocation for as long as 12 months based on its unemployment rate and require an updated certification of its funding needs.