ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Board of Aldermen advanced a COVID-19 relief package designed to allocate nearly $80 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
"We need an equitable recovery from this crisis that leaves no one behind," Mayor Tishaura Jones said in a news conference Wednesday.
The board gave initial approval Tuesday night to Board Bill 2, the American Recovery Act funding bill, putting it one vote away from final passage.
The plan includes $5 million in direct payments of $500 to about 10,000 families who qualify for assistance after an amendment to the bill.
Jones said Wednesday she was glad the measure passed with the direct payments.
The mayor again called out Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed for initially stripping out the direct payments and for his corridor proposal that would redevelop run-down business districts in major corridors of north St. Louis, MLK, North Grand, West Florissant and Natural Bridge. Jones said the corridor proposal was outside of federal guidelines.
Jones said she tried to meet with Reed to fix the problem.
"This is why you don't wait for the last minute to turn in your homework," Jones said.
Reed took issue with the process for executing the direct payment plan in the weeks leading up to the vote, saying he wanted more information.
“How do you process 10,000 applications in the next month and a half?” Reed asked Monday. “We need to understand, number one – who it’s going to go to, how people apply, what’s the cost for approving 10,000 applications and what communities, ultimately, will it help?”
The plan passed Tuesday includes:
- $20 million to establish a Citywide Affordable Housing Development Fund
- $33 million to establish Economic Empowerment Funds in north St. Louis
- $5 million for Small Business Grant Fund for $5,000 grants to small businesses
- $15 million to the Healthy Home Repair Fund to reduce the backlog of applicants
- $500,000 additional for expanding broadband and public Wi-Fi
- $450,000 for job training in software development, data management and analytics
- $5 million for uniformed police officer overtime
- $5 million in $500 direct payments to families who qualify for assistance
"We can't return to normal because 'normal' isn't working for most St. Louisians," Jones urged Wednesday.
The bill still has a few steps to go. It is set to go before the Board of Estimate and Apportionment at a special meeting Thursday before final passage at the Board of Aldermen Friday.