Ellington, Somers Slated For Hefty Sum In Coronavirus Relief Bill

ELLINGTON/SOMERS, CT — U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has released projected allocations that towns in Connecticut's second Congressional district could receive under the American Rescue Plan, the next federal relief bill related to the coronavirus pandemic. The bill is currently under what Courtney is terming "bipartisan consideration" in the House of Representatives.

According to current estimates, local governments east of the Connecticut River could be receiving at least $167 million through the new relief package, in addition to more than $100 million in aid designated for counties that would be "proportionately" distributed under an "entitlement" formula.

The preliminary estimate for Ellington is $3,620,231, while Somers is in line to receive $2,406,379.

Ellington First Selectman Lori Spielman told Patch, "To have $3.6 million would be a big help for the town of Ellington. We are working hard now through capital improvements in our budget to keep our taxes as low as possible. But though I'll believe it when I see the check deposited to the town, that would be wonderful news."

"What I have heard directly from local leaders is that towns and cities in eastern Connecticut are struggling to manage the fallout from the fiscal and economic impact of the pandemic," Courtney said. "The funding the House is proposing in the American Rescue Plan is a powerful tool to provide much-needed relief to our struggling local governments.

"The state and local funds, paired with the K-12 education funding I helped pass in committee last week, will ensure that that our towns are receiving the help they need to offset extreme and unpredictable budget deficits brought on by this pandemic. I will continue to work to pass this bill in the House without delay and ensure that this relief gets to our region as quickly as possible."

Last week, the U.S. House Oversight Committee approved its portion of the larger relief package, which included $350 billion to help states and local governments with the "fiscal and economic impact of the pandemic."

According to projections by the committee, Connecticut could receive about $4 billion through the proposed bill, including about $2.7 billion to the state and $1.6 billion to cities and towns.

East of the river Connecticut cities and towns are projected to receive an estimated $167 million. Some will be getting extra funding as "entitlement communities" through the federal Community Development Block Grant, while all other towns would share $127 million in "non-entitlement" funds.

Click here for a projection of allocations to non-entitlement local governments in the 2nd district.

The bill requires funds to be used to cover economic impacts from lost, delayed or decreased as a result of the pandemic, Courtney said.

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