Occoquan

Occoquan will hold a public meeting on tonight, Tuesday, March 1 to discuss how the town will use money received through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF).

The meeting will replace a Town Council meeting that had originally scheduled for tonight.

During the meeting, residents will learn how the town aims to spend more than $900,000 in SLFRF funds the town is to receive. The presentation will be followed by questions and feedback from the public regarding the use of the funding.

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the SLFRF program is a part of the American Rescue Plan Act which seeks to deliver $350 billion to state, local, and tribal governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic.

The program provides resources local governments in order to fight the pandemic and support families and businesses that have been impacted, maintain vital public services, and build a recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity.

The funds can be used for a variety of purposes such as replacing lost public sector revenue, responding to public health and economic issues stemming from impacts of the pandemic, providing premium pay for essential workers, and investing in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.

The Treasury Department is issuing its final rules for the use of the funding which will take effect on April 1. The department had installed interim rules for the use of the funds in May 2021, since then over $240 billion has been distributed to various localities such as Occoquan.

According to the department's overview on the final rules funds have to be used for costs incurred on or after March 3, 2021. Items that the funds are to be spent on must be decided by December 31, 2024 and used by December 31, 2026.

The meeting will be held at the Occoquan Town Hall on 314 Mill Street at 7 p.m.