Beloit officials are thinking long-term with how to spend COVID-19 relief funding.

The city council held a public meeting Monday night to discuss how they should spend roughly 15 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Finance Director Eric Miller outlined the different uses the money qualifies for coming out of the pandemic, including replacing lost revenue and infrastructure.

One of the few participants in the public comment portion of the meeting was Visit Beloit CEO Celestino Ruffini, who asked the council to consider allocating money for the tourism industry hit hard by the pandemic.

City Manager Lori Curtis-Luther said Beloit will take its time before deciding how to spend the federal funding, and they want to do more analysis on projects that could promote long-term growth for the city.

The public will have more opportunities to give input throughout the city’s budget process.