County officials are weighing the idea of using federal relief money to give all county employees a one-time stipend for inflationary relief.
The proposal would allocate $1.7 million for these payments from the $31 million pool of money the county received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The Johnson County Board of Commissioners special ARPA committee approved moving forward with the allocation by a vote of 5-1 at its meeting last week.
The county employs 572 full-time workers and 159 part-time, said Shena Johnson, county attorney. The $1.7 million allocation would provide full-time county employees a $2,500 stipend and part-time employees with a $1,500 stipend.
The stipends would go to employees who work in each county department, from the health and highway departments to the Johnson County jail.
Commissioner Brian Baird proposed the stipends to provide relief from rising inflation. He said he felt it was the commissioners’ job as employers to do what they can to help employees with the funds available.
“We have people in this county who work for the county who are hurting just as much as other people. And I think we ought to look at that as the employers of these people,” Baird said.
Commissioner Ron West disagreed with using the funds to give stipends and ultimately voted against the proposal. West said no one cares more or is supportive of county employees than him, but, he said employees are not the only ones suffering amidst inflation.
Many residents have faced hardships as a result of the pandemic, or inflation, so West said the ARPA money should be used for projects or programs to benefit all taxpayers.
“Now, for us to recognize a $1.7M stipend to our employees is a real slap in the face to the taxpayers of this county,” West said.
Baird disagreed with West, he said. His conscience won’t allow him to not to help people with funds that are already available and spent by the federal government, he said.
“It’s already spent, so to say we’re using it unfairly … I disagree with that,” Baird said. “We have the opportunity to help those who we touch the closest right now.”
The $1.7 million stipend proposal will go before the county commissioners and then the Johnson County Council for final approval.
So far, the county has officially allocated $2.5 million from its ARPA funds for street repairs and fiber expansion — a measure that was approved by the commissioners and county council in April.
The ARPA committee has also tentatively earmarked at least $8 million to build a mental health facility, $1.2 million to expand the Johnson County Animal Shelter, $500,000 to the county Crisis Intervention Team and $100,000 for a grant program for the food pantries throughout the county. Official action has not been taken to approve those funding allocations yet.
