Local governments big and small across Wisconsin received a total of $200 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) this week. The program is meant to help local governments recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and was disbursed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration. 

The amount each municipality received was determined through a formula based on its population. The state’s larger cities already received their funds directly from the federal government. The payments, according to data from the office of Gov. Tony Evers, reach as high as $2 million for larger municipalities such as Brookfield in Waukesha County and as low as $2,200 for towns and villages as small as Cedar Rapids in Rusk County. 

The money, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury, must be used to support public health, address the economic effects of the pandemic, replace public sector revenue, pay essential workers or improve infrastructure such as water, sewer or broadband. 

The $1.9 trillion ARPA was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March and Gov. Tony Evers said the funds will help people across the state recover from the damage caused by COVID.