IOWA CITY
A follow-up examination of Johnson County’s Direct Assistance Program showed that a majority of the recipients of $1,400 used the money to pay down debt.
Results of …
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IOWA CITY
A follow-up examination of Johnson County’s Direct Assistance Program showed that a majority of the recipients of $1,400 used the money to pay down debt.
Results of administrative data and a survey program were presented by Dr. David Frisvold, an economics professor at the University of Iowa, to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors at its Jan. 31 work session.
The program, which was funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money and also by assistance from Iowa City, provided $1,400 payments to more than 1,900 Johnson County residents in 2022.
Post-program data and information showed that 54% of respondents spent the money on paying down debt and another 41% spent the funds on more immediate needs.
Recipients were required to meet multiple eligibility requirements, including not receiving federal stimulus payments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m just seeing that it was really what it was, it was a shot in the arm of money in an emergency situation,” Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass said, “but long-term situation didn’t change for people.”
Ceasefire Resolution
The supervisors passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East, but by a close 3-2 vote following an amendment proposal by Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz.
The resolution followed a few weeks of Johnson County residents strongly speaking in favor of a ceasefire, and stopping the use of tax dollars for Israel’s military benefit.
The resolution was drafted by Supervisor Jon Green of Lone Tree and called for a “ceasefire in the Palestine-occupied territories and Israel and the Middle East.”
Fixmer-Oraiz called for an amendment to include the specific words, “West Bank” and “Gaza.”
Green-Douglass said the revision was redundant since all of the named areas are in the Middle East.
The amended resolution passed, with Supervisors Green-Douglass and Royceann Porter voting in opposition.
Board Action
The Board approved an increase in the maximum benefit for the county’s Infant & Toddler Scholarship Program from $600 a month for eligible families to 80% of tuition costs. The scholarship program, which is funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, has been in place since June 2023.
The Board approved several job descriptions, including one for lead medic/EMT.
