The Washington City Council has begun discussions of how to use federal COVID-19 relief dollars.

The council held a workshop discussion at their most recent meeting on allocation of approximately $1 million they expect to receive through the American Rescue Plan Act. City Administrator Brent Hinson told the council that the city’s needs for water and sewer infrastructure improvements far exceed this amount, and he recommended that the vast majority or all of the funds be spent on those projects. Of the list of improvements proposed, Council Member Steven Gault opposed allocating $125,000 to construct a lift station for a proposed 44-acre residential subdivision near the Washington Golf and Country Club.

The council agreed that funds should be allocated for an estimated $540,000 alternative bid to replace the water main along West Madison from Avenue H to the Highway 1 and 92 junction as part of a $1.8 million project that they hope to receive $600,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds. Council Member Danielle Pettit-Majewski mentioned the council should at least talk about “people infrastructure” for the remaining federal funds, “The purpose of this money is to make our communities more resilient in the event of another pandemic. I have read the treasury documents, they are riveting, but the purpose of this money is to help our communities be more resilient and those are the types of infrastructure needs that we also need to help the people who are going to be impacted by the pandemic.”

Pettit-Majewski brought up childcare as an issue exacerbated by the pandemic, which Council Member Elaine Moore agreed is a huge problem, and that the council should seek to build a stronger community with these dollars. No action was taken on fund allocation, as the federal government requires that monies be allocated in 2024 and spent in 2025.