Dutchess Invests Program Identifies Priority Areas for $57 Million Federal Rescue Funding

In a major announcement on Wednesday, June 2nd, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced plans for the $57 million one-time funding that was allocated to Dutchess County as part of the Federal Government's American Rescue Plan (ARP).

The ARP funding is allocated to communities to provide recovery assistance from the impacts of COVID-19 on the area.  Some of these economic impact areas include offsetting lost revenues, reinforcing essential services, and restoring the local economy.

Specifically, Dutchess Invests will focus on the following main areas over the next two years:

• Learn, Play, Create: Supporting Our Kids ($13+ million)
• Jobs, Infrastructure & Public Safety (nearly $11 million)
• County Parks ($17+ million)
• Community Partnerships ($9+ million)

 A breakdown of what the four priority areas are proposed to include can be found here.

In his announcement, County Executive Molinaro expressed

We look forward to presenting and discussing these priorities and initiatives over the coming weeks and months as we access this one-time federal funding.   We cannot just spend these dollars, we must invest them.   We have always made careful, calculated decisions to spend dollars wisely to support our residents.   The projects and priorities outlined for Dutchess Invests continues that careful approach – using a one-time funding opportunity to provide our community with a ‘shot in the arm’ of long-term investments that provide ongoing impact and benefit.

During the scheduled June 14th board meeting, a number of the initiatives will be presented to the Dutchess County Legislature for approval.

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