West Point Mayor Gerald Schafer, right, speaks to the West Point Town Council during a June meeting.

WEST POINT — The town of West Point is set to receive around $140,000 in coronavirus relief funding from the American Rescue Plan, and the West Point Town Council voted Monday to create a new bank account to hold that money. 

The American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress earlier this year, will provide $130 billion in funding to local governments across the nation to help them offset economic losses that they have faced during the pandemic and cover the costs they have incurred during their response to COVID-19. 

West Point Mayor Gerald Schafer said the town is set to receive $144,626 as part of the act, but there are strict requirements for what the money can be spent on. To help make sure the town is able to use the funding correctly, Town Clerk Joann Jones will be attending an informational session at Calhoun Community College on Thursday to learn more about the requirements that the relief money will have, he said. 

The council also voted to provide a $500 donation for the Cullman County Commission on Aging’s annual Senior Christmas Party, which is set to return this year, along with a $500 donation to West Point High School’s Future Farmers of America alumni to help the group put on its annual Firecracker Futurity Livestock show.

West High School agriscience teacher Ethan Lake spoke to the council about the FFA’s request for the donation, and said the cattle, lamb and goat expo is a fundraiser that brings in a lot of young farmers from around Alabama and surrounding states. 

“We’ve been really successful in the last three years in getting quite a few people there,” he said. 

The funds raised go toward paying the FFA dues for members to compete in events and competitions, as well as traveling to the state and national FFA conventions, he said.