The Bourbon Town Council members approved an ordinance Tuesday night that creates a non-reverting fund in the 2021 budget for the receipt of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The town will be getting a total of $338,000, half of which will be received in May of this year and the other half in May of 2022.
Town Council President Ward Byers was the only municipal leader who attended this week’s joint meeting of the Marshall County Council and Commissioners facilitated by Baker Tilly to discuss uses of the funds. He relayed information to the council from that session and said the council members will work soon to put together a spending plan of how to appropriate the money within the eligible uses. Funds can be used to respond to a public health emergency; workers performing essential work; recover revenue losses; investments in water, sewer and broadband; and the transfer of funds to not-for-profit or special purpose unit of state or local government.
Councilman Les McFarland noted right away that broadband could be a big project for the Town of Bourbon, but solid plans will be worked out in future meetings. Byers said they will be doing a deep look into revenue losses to see what can be recovered with the funds coming to assist the town.
The deadline to spend the money is December 31, 2024. Whatever funds aren’t used must be turned over to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
