City Of San Antonio: District 5 Councilmember On The American Rescue Plan Act Vote

San Antonio TX

06 February, 2022

5:56 AM

Description

Press release from the City of San Antonio: Friday, February 4, 2022 CONTACT: Amador Salazar, 210.207.0960 [email protected] SAN ANTONIO (February 04, 2022) — Yesterday, City Council approved a spending framework for the $212.5 million in remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the federal government and remaining balances from the City's Recovery and Resiliency Program. District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo stated the following: "The pandemic has exacerbated and magnified the many inequities that are entrenched in the fabric of San Antonio, so it is a relief to see many lifesaving initiatives funded after today's vote. Now City Council can look toward our upcoming council committee discussions as we narrow our focus on how best to disburse these recovery dollars. Within the current package $50 million has been secured for public health measures that will continue to protect our communities from the pandemic, $10 million toward the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) to continue to assist those at risk of losing their homes, $10 Million to address our city's failed streets, $31 million toward small business support, $8.4 million for Digital Inclusion and literacy to help us address our digital divide, $10 million toward youth services, $5 million for senior services, $5 million for our arts community, and $10 million for employee compensation/benefits and retention for our City employees who managed to keep our City running in the face of a deadly pandemic. During Council discussion yesterday, I introduced a motion to distribute $10 million in premium pay directly to city workers as soon as ARPA funding became available in June. Establishing a June deadline would give City workers assurance that they will finally be compensated after two years of risking their lives to keep the City running, and it would have given the Employee Management Committee* time to provide feedback to the City Manager on the structure of the payment to the employees. The amendment included an employee option on how to receive their compensation via direct deposit or a pre-tax account like a Flexible Spending or Health Savings Account. Though the motion ultimately failed, I would like to commend my Council colleagues – Bravo, McKee-Rodriguez, and Sandoval – for supporting my motion, which reflected the demands of our local union the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2021. It will be important to watch this process closely to ensure workers are finally and fairly compensated for serving San Antonio and its residents with bravery and professionalism." *The Employee Management Committee (EMC) was established by ordinance in August 2004 to provide a structured communication process by which the City and its employees can discuss matters pertaining to wages, hours of work, and other conditions of employment. This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author's own.