MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio - Mahoning County Commissioners have almost given out all of their $42 Million in American Rescue Plan money to the community. 

Around $6.7 million went to people for mortgage assistance, rent and education training. 

Nearly $5 million went to small businesses, giving them low interest loans to keep people afloat.

One of the biggest chunks of money went to infrastructure. $10 million was spent on small and big projects - including the Western Reserve Road project and expanding internet access. 

“That 10 million dollars includes 3.6 million dollars of broadband expansion that we did with the outlying areas to try and bring the internet and broadband to the communities that were underserved or not served,” Mahoning County Commissioner, David Ditzler said. 

Other funds went to help small governments in the county - especially with emergency services.

“A lot of the needs today are the lack of available people that are qualified EMT's and staff to drive the ambulances,” Ditzler said. 

To combat that shortage the Fire Chiefs Association was given ARP money to be able to give out grants to anyone who wants to go to school to become a first responder. 

With the nearly $2 million left, commissioners plan to build up EMS services by replacing the county's 20-year-old EMA service vehicle with an ambulance that would double as a mobile dispatch center. 

“If there would happen to be a crash in one of the dispatching sights Austintown, Boardman, Youngstown, Canfield, it would be able to pick up the slack on that,” Ditzler said.

The commissioners have to spend the rest of the ARP money before the end of 2024. 

Some of the money already spent includes:

• $5 million: Support to small business and business development
• $4 million of that to Valley Economic Development partners (Small business loans and grants)
• $1 million of that to Valley Partners (Area ED Partners - retention and growth)
• $3.6 million: Broadband expansion and development 
• $5,228,314.00: Infrastructure (Bridges, sewer, stormwater, buildings, ect.)
• $1.5 million: Downtown Revitalization (Campbell & Struthers)
• $6,691,804.00: Social Service Program Development & Expansion (Mortgage assistance, food pantry, housing stability, disability services, education and job training ect.)
• $2.1 million: County internal infrastructure (Internal network development)
• $3.613,986.00: Local government support (Parks & Recreation, stormwater, sewer equipment, demolition, health services, play grounds, fire facility restrooms, ect.)