The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides additional relief for Montgomery County, which is set to receive around $161 million from the stimulus package, writes Rachel Ravina for The Reporter Online.

“It gives us certainty for planning,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr.

The funds are part of the $350 billion carved out from the full $1.9 trillion stimulus package for “states, counties, cities, and tribal governments” to help them deal with the financial burdens related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawrence said the money is coming at the right time and will be used for further testing and making sure that all 830,000 of the area’s residents are inoculated.

Half of the funds will be provided within two months, while the remaining funds will be made available next year. The proceeds will be active until 31, 2024.

“That’s a positive, that’s an asset to us, to be able to plan and strategically utilize the funds over a longer period of time, versus the CARES Act where the original date was Dec. 30,” said Montgomery County’s Chief Financial Officer Dean Dortone.

Read more about the funds at The Reporter Online by clicking here.