Village of River Forest to Receive $1.3 Million from American Rescue Plan

March, 16, 2021

Village President Cathy Adduci thanks the Illinois Municipal League, the State, and Federal Government for vital assistance in the aftermath of the pandemic.

River Forest, Illinois – The Village of River Forest will be receiving $1.34 million from the American Rescue Plan. These funds are allocated by the Federal Government and can be utilized to support a variety of programs, efforts, initiatives, and organizations that have been impacted due to the pandemic.

While the Village maintains a sound financial position, the funds allocated for River Forest will assist in covering unplanned pandemic-related expenses that are not eligible for other forms of relief funds, as well as replacing lost revenue due to the pandemic. 

“These vital funds will help to put us in a position to be able to hold the line on future taxes,” President Adduci said. “These funds will allow the Village to provide our small businesses with relief due to the ongoing pandemic. Small business is the backbone of our community and the Village will continue to work hard to ensure we keep all our small business in River Forest!  We look forward to discussing this with our business community in the coming weeks.”

President Adduci thanked U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, as well as U.S. Representatives Danny Davis and Jesús “Chuy” García for their collaboration and leadership. 

“I want to also thank the Illinois Municipal League, where I serve as the 2nd Vice President, for championing this plan with key stakeholders at the State and Federal levels,” President Adduci said. “This is the result we get when we all work together on behalf of our residents, businesses and organizations that serve our Village, and villages and cities across our state and country.”  

U.S. House Bill H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, was signed into law by President Biden Friday, March 12, 2021. As part of this new law, $1.9 trillion in direct stimulus payments for state and local governments will be distributed. The amount of funding received by municipalities with populations of less than 50,000 people, including River Forest, is capped at 75% of the municipality’s pre-pandemic budget as of January 27, 2020. 

A total of $65.1 billion in financial assistance will be distributed to municipalities across the U.S. and can assist with costs associated with public health emergency response related to the pandemic, as well as negative economic impacts to small businesses, nonprofits and tourism, travel, and hospitality. Additionally, funds can also help to cover the additional costs of essential work performed during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for municipalities to make necessary investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.