September 23, 2022
Several community members addressed City Council during the public comments portion of the meeting Tuesday, Sept. 20 again requesting to be provided federal assistance funds individually.
The organized members of the community were ineligible to receive federal stimulus funds during the pandemic. The group has demanded the city mirror the program created by Johnson County and provide funding to individuals based specific qualifications based on income and need.
Mayor Katie McCullough responded to attendees to explain why the City would not be able to provide financial assistance in the manner that has been requested by the organization.
The City Staff, City Attorney, CPA, and Council have all put a lot of effort into finding a way to provide the funding with the ability of the City staffing, legality, and fiscally.
Unfortunately, the due to the size of our City, City Staffing, and complexity of mirroring the Johnson County program we are unable to provide the same program as Johnson County. The Mayor stated that if it was a as simple as writing a check then this would have already done.
The City of West Liberty will continue work on how we can provide funding to benefit the whole community, which includes identifying funding specific to those who meet specific requirements of financial need.