Columbus will look for help in developing a plan on how to spend 5.6 million dollars in federal money

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus will look for help in developing a plan on how to spend 5.6 million dollars in federal money.

The city is accepting bids from consultants that will assist with the planning, engineering, and compliance of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Money can be used for some infrastructure improvements, such as sewer, water, and broadband.

Like many towns and counties, Columbus is trying to navigate the changing rules of spending funds.

Mayor Keith Gaskin wants the city to have a comprehensive and capital plan for the next five to 15 years.

He believes if the city is aggressive enough to find the resources, the federal money can be stretched several ways.

“There are possibilities of ways that the money the city has we can leverage with the county with what they have. We can do also leverage with money that the state has. There’s also a possibility that there could be some extra federal support that would match some of these dollars, is my understanding,” said Mayor Keith Gaskin.

Columbus and other local governments have until December 2026 to spend the money.