Stoughton To Receive Over $2.8 Million In Federal Relief Funds

STOUGHTON, MA — Stoughton will get roughly $2.85 million in federal funds from the coronavirus relief and stimulus bill passed Thursday, according to estimates from the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

One of the $1.9 trillion bill's provisions is $350 billion for state and local aid, including a $130 billion Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. That fund will send $3.4 billion to Massachusetts, according to the Committee's estimates.

Most of that funding will go to counties and the state's 37 largest cities and towns, but $368 million will be split between the other 314 communities, including Stoughton. That money is allocated by population.

The committee estimated that Stoughton will get $2.85 million — just under $100 per resident, according to 2019 Census Bureau estimates.

The funds must be spent by 2024 and can go to the following categories, according to an analysis from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation:

• "Response to both the pandemic and related economic consequences
• Provision of government services necessitated by revenue reduction due to the pandemic
• Investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure"

Town Manager Robin Grimm said town officials are still in the early stages of discussing how to use the money. She said she will approach the Select Board on the matter within the next few weeks.

"It's a bit different from CARES money which was more directly towards operational costs," Grimm said. "Because this can be used for things like offsetting lost revenue, capital projects, etc, it may likely require a more broad policy approach to its use."

The bill also has billions in funding for state capital projects, K-12 education, transit and other categories.