WESTPORT — How should the town spend $8.4 million allocated by the federal government under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021?

That is the multi-million-dollar question the Board of Selectmen is asking the public to answer at a hearing set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, in the Town Hall auditorium.

The selectmen last month reviewed requests from town departments on proposals to be funded under the program, which was approved to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government has already allotted $4.2 million to Westport under the act, and the same amount is expected next year.

The ARPA funds “provide substantial flexibility for each government to meet local needs, including support for households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers and the communities hardest hit by the COVID crisis,” First Selectman Jim Marpe said in a statement.

“They can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure,” he said.

Details on the latest revisions to town plans for allocating the $8.4 million in federal aid can be found here.