NEW HAVEN — Mayor Justin Elicker said the American Rescue Plan Act could help lead the city — which is battling the economic impact of the pandemic — into the future.

The city would be expected to receive about $95 million in town aid under the federal legislation, which was passed by the Senate and is now under consideration by the House of Representatives, Elicker and other officials said. The city would also stand to gain about $95 million in American Rescue Plan Act school aid, $38 million in school aid from the December stimulus school aid, and $25 million from the rescue plan’s county aid.

Elicker, and U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both-D-Conn., lauded the measure at a City Hall gathering Monday.

Elicker said his administration would work with the Board of Alders and residents with regard to aid spending, mentioning the need for digital access and access to healthcare, as well as helping small businesses, as potential priorities.

“(T)he primary impact of this is on our economic recovery, investing in small businesses, particularly Black and brown-owned businesses that have been significantly impacted by the pandemic. And it allows us, as a community, to... think about how we’re going to approach anew the future of our city economically,” said Elicker. “There’s a huge opportunity for us to do something big here.”

The additional funding is not expected to significantly impact the city’s operating budget in the future, the mayor said. Elicker again advocated for the state to change its PILOT funding formula to benefit New Haven and appealed to Yale University for further funding.

Elicker said the funding, under the tenants of the federal act, could go to defray coronavirus-related expenditures, such as police overtime, and lost revenue, such as the roughly $3 million in parking fees the city failed to bring in this past year.

But other costs, such as debt service, pensions and contractual increases would likely not be covered, he said.

The $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package, among other measures, also includes payments of up to $1,400 for people earning less than $75,000, expands the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,000, with an additional $600 for children under 6, and would provide $14 billion for vaccines, $12 billion for emergency food aid and $45 billion for rental and mortgage assistance, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3.

It also includes funding for schools: the New Haven Public Schools would receive about $95 million as well, according to figures from the Congressional Research Service.

“The time to make a bold investment in the health and security of the American people is now. We cannot afford another mistake in our response to the challenging circumstances in which we are living through,” congressional aide Alexis Brown said, reading remarks on behalf of DeLauro. “It is a lifeline to the middle class and cuts child poverty in half.”

Blumenthal said he was pleased that a Democratic majority in the Senate was able to pass the bill, but called for filibuster reform, noting the lengthy negotiations that went into the process.

“The lesson from past economic crises is — go big, do it now,” said Blumenthal. “That is what we have done and it will mean billions of dollars for Connecticut and a rescue plan that will relieve poverty and drive the economy forward.”

Murphy said the measure was one of the most important of his career.

“This economy was hurting; American families were hurting before the pandemic. What the pandemic did was bring the entire economy to a halt, but also expose how fragile America’s economic life was for so many people,” said Murphy.