Marlborough May Get $3.9M From Latest Federal Stimulus Package

MARLBOROUGH, MA — The latest federal stimulus bill could provide about $3.91 million in emergency funding to Marlborough, according to an analysis by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF).

President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) on Thursday. On top of direct $1,400 payments to many Americans, the bill includes $195 billion for state and local governments. Massachusetts will get about $4.5 billion of that total, a boost from the $2.7 billion the state got in the 2020 CARES Act stimulus bill.

Marlborough can use its estimated $3.91 million share of the stimulus on several broad items, according to MTF:

• Responding to economic fallout caused by the pandemic
• Pay boosts for essential workers either with direct payments to public workers or grants to private companies
• Propping up government services that have seen a revenue reduction due to the pandemic (cannot be used to pay back tax cuts)
• Funding investments in water, sewer and broadband internet upgrades

The ARP also includes about $2.6 billion in direct payments to school districts in Massachusetts. The MTF analysis did not estimate how much individual districts might get from that pot. The money can be used to make up for student learning losses during the pandemic — Biden has specifically floated keeping schools open over the summer for students to catch up — school repairs, paying for air quality improvements and improving public health in schools.