Imperial Beach uncertain how to spend $6.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds

What’s the best way to spend $6.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds in a community with needs ranging from rental assistance to access to healthy food?

Imperial Beach City Council members were faced with that difficult question last week.

Signed into law by President Joe Biden in March, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes $350 billion for state and local municipalities. Of that figure, $7 billion was budgeted for California cities. The amount of money per city is calculated based on its population, housing needs and population. Across San Diego County, local governments received anywhere between $800,000 to $306 million.

Funds must be spent by 2024 and should principally tie back to a COVID-19 impact, though there is some flexibility.

Imperial Beach city staff presented a potential expenditure plan for the $6.56 million the city will receive in two separate cycles:

• Improvements to the city’s Sports Park: $1.9 million;
• Improvements to the city-owned facility at 170 Palm Ave.: $1.9 million;
• Repairs to the city’s multi-use field: $877,413;
• Infrastructure repairs: $500,000;
• Recapture of impacted expenses and services: $336,800;
• Essential personnel cost offset related to COVID-19, such as for firefighters: $300,000;
• Grants and loans for business assistance: $250,000;
• Aid to local households: $250,000;
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements: $150,000;
• Placement of community information signs: $100,000

The areas suggested were fine, but the amounts concerned council members and several residents. Many believed that more money should go toward assisting businesses and citizens and less toward recreation.

Councilmember Paloma Aguirre said that while she understands that outdoor recreation is important, “I do believe that COVID has had devastating effects on our residents’ health, on their housing and their economic well-being. I believe that we should reallocate the funding for these areas.”

Aguirre recommended boosting the aid to local households to 15 percent of the total COVID-19 relief dollars. Residents agreed with the proposal to increase funding in those areas.

“I believe that more money should be spent on households because we can’t keep our communities safe. With COVID around. We’re going to be living in parks,” said Patricia Mendoza, who identified herself as a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. “That’s going to be a tremendous ordeal to have to tell my children that we’re going to be homeless because of the reason that mommy can’t afford the rent right now.”

City Manager Andy Hall said the suggested amount for household aid was due to the resources already available via the county, which have been largely untapped.

“The county has indicated that there are still a lot of funding available at the county level for rental assistance, a lot in the hundreds of millions for rental assistance that Imperial Beach residents are eligible for,” said Hall.

The council and staff said options could include increasing the local aid or temporarily hiring a contractor to educate and guide residents to resources that are widely available.

With resources for residents already available on the county and state levels, there was also a push to keep recreation at the top of the expenditure list. The one-time funds for recreation would come as Imperial Beach works to rebuild its Parks and Recreation Department from the start.

“We have a historic equity investment issue in the city of Imperial Beach where the city for 60 years or 70 years made calculated decisions to stop investing in our community. They stopped funding Parks and Rec,” said Mayor Serge Dedina. “I think with this money … we have the opportunity to right those wrongs.”

Several residents also suggested that the city provide more financial assistance to businesses. Dedina recommended boosting funds to $600,000.

The council agreed to revisit the issue at its next meeting.