© Provided by KGAN Cedar Rapids
West Liberty City Council voted 5-0 last night to invest $150,000 of their American Rescue Plan Act allotment into community needs.
The $150,000 appropriation includes $120,000 for utility relief of $400 for 300 households.
The vote was backdropped by a standing-room-only crowd of dozens of West Liberty immigrant workers, meatpacking plant workers, and farmworkers, six of whom delivered public comments in Spanish about the impact the pandemic had on them and why they needed relief.
“This is happening because we fought and won relief,” said Edgar Velasquez, a grocery store worker and West Liberty homeowner. “But it doesn’t matter what the city promises, only what they do. Together, we will make sure this money gets into the hands of the people.”