Hamilton County officials say flexibility in the new round of federal stimulus will make it easier to spend the funding effectively. President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law Thursday.
Hamilton County is expected to get about $158 million.
County Administrator Jeff Aluotto says deadlines in the CARES Act meant they were planning and executing simultaneously. But the American Rescue Plan allows money to be used through the end of 2024.
"So this will give us a little bit of time to make sure that we can plan, be strategic," Aluotto said. "And at the same time we need to be quick because we know there's a tremendous amount of need out there in the community."
The money can be used for COVID-related expenses like vaccines and public health, small business relief, support for schools and low-income people.
The American Rescue Plan also includes individual stimulus checks and extended unemployment benefits.
There’s a total of $11.2 billion for Ohio – half of it going to the state, with $2.2 billion each going to major cities and to all 88 counties. Cincinnati could get $291,590,000, or around $967 per person.
Karen Kasler of the Statehouse News Bureau contributed to this report.
