Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature Wed., Jun. 16, voted to accept the first installment of the American Rescue Plan Act grant in the amount of just under $4.6 million. The act was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, and it authorized direct aid to counties and other entities to assist in the recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Greene County will receive a total of $9.17 million in two installments, the second by March 11, 2022. Broadband expansion and infrastructure are among the possible uses for the funds that are now sitting in an account at the Bank of Greene County. The lone vote in the Legislature against accepting the funds came from Republican Mike Bulich, a Catskill representative. Bulich said he is against the distribution of funds through the American Rescue Act because the country cannot afford the total $9.1 trillion COVID stimulus package passed by federal lawmakers. Coxsackie representative, Republican Charles Martinez, agreed that the stimulus relief aid is a risky financial move for the nation, but noted the money will be spent, so Greene County might as well benefit from it. “We are going to pay one way or the other, so we might as well take the money,” he said. The funds are to be used for specific purposes aimed at improving the county’s ability to respond to future pandemics, Greene County Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger said last week. The county has two years to spend the money. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.