WEST LIBERTY, CALIFORNIA — Escucha Mi Voz (Hear My Voice) members celebrated as the West Liberty Municipal Council unanimously approved plans to move forward with a resolution to provide $700 checks to 200 city citizens who were not eligible for federal COVID relief monies.
The sole opposition heard during the council’s normal meeting on Tuesday came from council members Jose Zacarias and Omar Martinez, who wanted to give $1,400 checks. They said they will continue to push for larger inspections in the run-up to the resolution’s first reading and voting on June 21.
The initiative will be funded with $147,000 from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds. The payments will account for nearly a third of the $522,000 the city received. A request for half of the cash had been made. West Liberty will become Iowa’s second community to use a direct payment system.
For months, members of Escucha Mi Voz have been urging city and county governments to use some or all of the money they received from the federal government through ARPA to help excluded and essential workers — immigrant workers who did not receive stimulus and are suffering from the COVID-19 health crisis on a health and economic level.
Johnson County and Iowa City have put $3.5 million into a new Direct Assistance programme, which has been criticised recently for turning down applicants due to a lack of resources.
A biker from Davenport and a passenger were hurt in a crash in Mercer County.
“What we discussed at the meeting is that — we agreed on a percentage that would still allow us to raise funding for some of the other items on our list,” Dana Dominguez, chair of the finance committee, explained. ‘We felt safe starting there, and for the second part, we’d ask the county for assistance with another payout.’
Mayor Katherine McCullough expressed optimism that Muscatine County would contribute to the programme. The Muscatine County Supervisors have been visited by Escucha Mi Voz.
According to Dominguez, the city would be unable to implement the programme administratively. She discovered from Escucha Mi Voz personnel that the organisation had free of charge conducted a Johnson County programme.
About 30 West Liberty citizens marched from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church to the West Liberty Public Library for the meeting on Tuesday. A rally was conducted outside West Liberty City Hall in February by a group of roughly 30 workers.
“Even though we don’t have much to offer,” Dominguez added, “it will still make a big difference for those families who didn’t get anything.”
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The city, according to McCullough, wanted enough ARPA monies left over to try to complete other projects that citizens sought, such as a mental health and wellness centre in the city.
The city, according to Dominguez, would be unable to carry out the programme administratively. She learned from Escucha Mi Voz staff that the organisation had hosted a Johnson County programme for free.
For the meeting on Tuesday, some 30 West Liberty residents marched from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church to the West Liberty Public Library. A group of about 30 workers held a rally outside West Liberty City Hall in February.
