ROTHSCHILD. WI (WSAU) — Many residents may have already spent that $1,400 direct payment that was deposited into bank accounts last week, but leaders in the Village of Rothschild and other municipalities are still trying to unpack what their cut of the nearly $2 trillion package will be.
Village Administrator Gary Olsen says he still doesn’t know exactly what their final check will be. He says early indications were that they could get about a half-million dollars, but that amount may have gone down.
“The towns association went through and did an update on those numbers, that was supposed to be sent to us but I haven’t received it yet,” said Olsen. “I’m trying to find that to know exactly what our number is, but I think it’s going to go down.”
Additionally, Olsen says they still aren’t sure what the money can and can’t be used for, so there’s no plan for it just yet. “From what I’ve looked at so far it looks like you can use it for lost revenue, which we did have last year. [It looks like] you can also use it for aid for tourism, travel, and hospitality.
“With that, I’m still waiting for further guidance before we figure out what we can do with it,” he added.
Payments to municipalities will be split into two phases. Olsen says the first checks should be cut within two months, with the remaining balance coming later. The funds must be spent by the end of 2024.
Until he gets that further guidance on what the funds can be used for, he says no plan will be final. Especially when you consider the consequences of misusing government funds.
“You don’t want to be asking for forgiveness from the federal government. They tend to slap your wrists pretty hard. I don’t want to be cut off from other grants, so I want to make sure that we do the right thing and make sure what we are spending it on is appropriate.”
No matter what the final plan ends up being for the cash, Olsen won’t have the final say. He says the plan will need approval from the village board before becoming official.
Other topics Olsen discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Continued discussion on the closure of Rothschild’s waterpark
4:55- Update on the Schofield/Rothschild outdoor aquatic center’s preparations for 2021
11:35- Road construction update
14:30- What will become of Rothschild’s cut of the American Rescue Plan funding
18:00- What’s the coolest thing in your office?
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