City weighing options
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MARYVILLE, Mo. — For the city of Maryville, which is in the midst of planning a number of water-related projects due to cyanobacteria outbreaks at Mozingo Lake that have affected the taste and odor of drinking water, it’s no surprise that water infrastructure is a top priority for American Rescue Plan funds.
Preliminary work on a possible new water treatment plant, ongoing work to install a granular activated carbon adsorber at the existing plant or smaller projects like drainage improvements near Robertson-Crist Park and Lisa Lane would all be eligible for Rescue Plan funding, City Manager Greg McDanel said at Monday’s City Council meeting.
At that meeting, city staff outlined several possible areas of spending that would qualify which council members will consider:
- Water infrastructure improvements
- Premium pay for essential workers
- Façade, drainage and other outdoor improvements like parks or trails
- Public safety equipment
- Document scanning and website accessibility
- Mental health
“We could easily use 2.3 million (dollars) in water/sewer without hitting any of those other buckets,” McDanel told the council Monday. “There’s certainly enough need there.”
The short discussion at Monday’s meeting was very preliminary, and council members will discuss more in-depth at the next meeting. In that very preliminary discussion, though, premium pay for essential workers, improvements to the Thomson Splash ‘n’ Play, public safety equipment improvements and partnering with the county to add relief for local small businesses all received some support.
Premium pay
The Rescue Plan carves out specific ways that essential workers can be compensated for work during the pandemic. According to guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department, essential workers eligible for premium pay include:
- Staff at nursing homes, hospitals and home care settings
- Workers at farms, food production facilities, grocery stores and restaurants
- Janitors and sanitation workers
- Truck drivers, transit staff and warehouse workers
- Public health and safety staff
- Child care workers, educators and other school staff
- Social service and human services staff
The premium pay can come in several forms, including retrospectively to pay employees for work they’ve already performed during the pandemic, as well as adding premium pay for workers currently employed in essential roles. That funding can be distributed directly to workers through the local government entity, a third-party agency like an economic development group or chamber of commerce, or to an employer to be passed on to its workers.
In its guidance, the Treasury Department encourages local governments to prioritize essential pay for low-income workers, especially for prior work that they have not otherwise been properly compensated for while performing essential duties during the pandemic.
One possible option that could appeal to both business owners and their employees is adding to the pay of existing essential workers and potential new hires for a certain amount of time in areas that are understaffed, a chronic issue for small businesses both in Maryville and across the country as employers have begun ramping back up after initial pandemic slowdowns.
“I love the premium pay for essential workers,” said council member Rachael Martin at Monday’s meeting. “I think that being competitive right now is everything.”
Although asked about possible priorities for public safety equipment for the Maryville Police Department, which included possible purchases of items like Toughbook computers for use in police cars, police Chief Ron Christian said the biggest issue facing his department is manpower.
“Equipment doesn’t do any good if I don’t have anybody to use the equipment,” he said.
Splash ‘n’ Play
Under its broadest provisions, outdoor improvements like park maintenance due to increased use during the pandemic and assistance to small businesses to enhance outdoor spaces for COVID-19 mitigation — like restaurant patios — are eligible uses for Rescue Plan funding. Because the city of Maryville is also in what’s called a Qualified Census Tract, the city is eligible for even more uses on outdoor spaces.
Qualified Census Tracts are areas where household income is disproportionately lower than the surrounding area as defined through parameters set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. QCTs were given greater latitude on outdoor funding uses in order to help address health disparities and build stronger neighborhoods in low-income communities.
The expanded outdoor funding eligibility means that the city of Maryville could not only spend on pandemic-related park maintenance, but could also use Rescue Plan funds for new investments in parks and other outdoor recreation spaces that could promote healthier living environments and socialization to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“I think about the splash pad and the amount of use it has received over the summer, and since that’s a clearly defined area where we can spend dollars,” said council member Tye Parsons. “I know we’ve applied for grants a couple of times for restrooms, for shade structures, for picnic tables, for some things to continue to enhance that park out there. Not only is it a free asset for our citizens, but man, it just gets so much use. … You wouldn’t have to put a lot of money into it, relatively speaking, to get a lot of benefit from it.”
