Exterior of Trumbull Town Hall, in Trumbull, Conn. April 5, 2017.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut MediaTRUMBULL — The town is asking residents for suggestions on how to spend roughly $5 million of funds allocated to the town through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The Town of Trumbull was allocated approximately $10.5 million in ARPA funds, and roughly $5.46 million dollars remain. On Sept. 1, the Town Council and the Board of Finance met for roughly three hours to listen to presentations from the first selectman and various department heads on potential uses for the money.
Possible ideas included upgrading body cameras for the police and repairing a town pool. But now the town has given its citizens a chance to offer their thoughts on the best way to use the money. Residents can submit their ideas on a page available through a link on the town's website.
However, that page offers some guidelines for the types of project that are eligible for ARPA funding. For instance, the money can be used to "replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services up to the amount of revenue loss due to the pandemic."
Other possible uses include those that address the COVID-19 pandemic and "its impact on public health as well as addressing economic harms to households, small businesses, nonprofits, impacted industries, and the public sector."
Premium pay for essential workers and investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure are other possible uses for the federal funds.
At the joint meeting, officials said comments could be submitted through the site until Oct. 15. The public will be able to comment at the next public meeting on the ARPA funding, scheduled to take place Oct. 27.