Cape Girardeau City Council members disagree over potential ARPA fund allocations

A preliminary conversation at Monday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting on how to allocate the city's remaining $1.4 million from the American Rescue Plan Act ballooned into a contentious, redundant — and oftentimes confusing — hour-plus discussion among council members.

The conversation was a debate between members Shannon Truxel and Tameka Randle and members Nate Thomas, Mark Bliss and Robbie Guard.

The discussion — which contained no formal motions or votes — revolved around a few key points: who or what to spend the money on, and whether to follow the spirit of the original parameters set by the federal government or utilize the wiggle room the council members now have.

Initially, ARPA funds came with a time limit and an objective — they must be spent by 2023 and were designed to help "vulnerable" communities most affected by COVID-19, a sentiment agreed upon by the council members. Since then, parameters have been relaxed, Mayor Stacy Kinder said, allowing for more freedom of choice for local legislators.

Guard and Bliss lobbied for the funds to be spent on street repair and public safety, two things they said are the most important to residents.

"The two pieces that I hear day in and day out are streets and crime; regardless of the numbers that get reported from (Police) Chief (Wes) Blair, people feel unsafe," Guard said.

The rest, they said, should be put into the city's existing contingency funds to be used immediately or for a later date.

Truxel posited that funds should be spent on helping vulnerable populations, such as housing homeless individuals during inclement weather and creating bill-pay kiosks for those who find it difficult, or are unable, to travel to City Hall to pay bills. These suggestions, she said, were brought up under the previous City Council but were never addressed. Now, they have the time and funds to address them, she said.

Truxel also suggested a portion of the funds be set aside for an application process for not-for-profits to apply to use in Cape Girardeau, a suggestion that became the main crux for much of the debate at the meeting.

The Ward 5 representative listed the existing not-for-profits contracted to provide services for the city. She argued there are other not-for-profits that could help the city provide services, as well, specifically for the homeless population, which she said has not been addressed.

"We don't have a solution, we have never really had a conversation. We have not directly put ourselves in a position to aid with these individuals," Truxel said.

Both Truxel and Randle argued the current informal application system for not-for-profits is flawed. Truxel pointed to two instances — which she later identified as additional funding for Cape Girardeau Area Magnet and the community college assessment — that weren't properly vetted and did or would have resulted in a waste of taxpayer funds.

Randle said the current not-for-profits had been grandfathered in and should undergo a rigorous screening process to determine their value to the city. Randle said numerous times during the discussion that her ward — Ward 2 — had been left behind by the city government and the funds should be spent getting it to a level playing field.

Bliss, Guard, Thomas and council member Dan Presson disagreed with creating an application, citing possible legal issues, support for the current system and a lack of existing infrastructure to support a measure. Thomas, a proponent of using the money for existing services and paying down the city's debt, said it's not the city's role.

City attorney Greg Young said an application could cause legal issues if it was not for contracted service, citing a state law outlawing municipalities from allocating funds for private use.

Kinder — who initially supported the application idea but changed her mind following Young's statements — eventually called for an informal vote to show whether there was support for the idea. A majority of the council did not support the proposal.

At the end of the meeting, numerous attendees spoke before the council on the potential allocation of funds, often providing remarks against council members who they said didn't support helping vulnerable populations.

Various members of Street Level, an organization focused on helping the homeless in Cape Girardeau, spoke about the criminalization of homelessness in the city and the lack of attention paid to it by city officials. They said the city has made it illegal for homeless people to exist in Cape Girardeau, citing ordinances banning camping on public land and the lack of shelters.

Randy Alford, who said he had just recently been homeless but was able to secure housing and a job, said that all the council members needed to do was provide a little hope.

"Street Level is helping people and we're not asking for your help to help people to see the stars," Alford said through tears. "We're just asking, help people get above the trees, so we can see the sky."

Skyler Mart quoted a passage from the Bible, Matthew 25:40-46, a sermon from Jesus on helping "the least of us," stating that council members had the power to remedy the solution.

"It's awful that it's illegal for human beings to exist," Mart said. "If any of you are Christians, you should feel ashamed."

Another attendee, Aaron Lerma, suggested hosting a public forum specifically for ARPA funding allocation.

The sentiments during the public comment section were summed up by Ramona Bailey.

"If y'all plan on putting the money towards the streets, I guess the people of Cape will have a nice street to sleep on," Bailey said, receiving a significant amount of applause from attendees.