Getty/Naomi Baker
- A city council in Kansas voted this week to spend $350,000 of federal COVID-19 relief money on upgrades to a soccer complex, The Kansas City Star reported.
- The upgrades would include camera equipment to stream games online, which officials say would make money for the city.
- Citizens and some officials expressed outrage over the spending decision.
- The US Treasury Department says funds from the CARES Act issued to state, local, and tribal governments should be used for “necessary expenditures” related to the coronavirus pandemic.
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A city council in Kansas voted this week to spend $350,000 of federal COVID-19 relief money on upgrades to a soccer complex, The Kansas City Star reported.
The vote, which prompted backlash from citizens, would allow for the money to be spent on cameras and equipment that would allow for games at the complex to be broadcast online.
In a 10-2 vote, Overland Park city officials said the equipment would give families the chance to watch their kids’ games from home, allowing them to avoid crowds and practice social distancing. They also said the city would make money from people paying to watch the videos.
Two councilmen voted against the measure, saying it was not an appropriate use of funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
“When we look at the CARES Act and where this country is going with the economy, people are losing jobs. People are not able to pay rent. People are not able to pay utilities,” Councilman Faris Farassati said during the meeting, according to The Star. “I personally do not find it necessary to buy a bunch of expensive cameras to essentially make money.”
Chris Newlin, a city councilman who voted for the measure and is a soccer coach at the complex, defended the decision, local station Fox 4 reported. He said social distancing is not being practiced at the games and "this is an appropriate program," according to the station.
The US Treasury Department says funds from the CARES Act issued to state, local, and tribal governments should be used for "necessary expenditures" related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Overland Park, which is part of the larger Kansas City metropolitan area, is located in Johnson County.
The Star reported Overland Park has received more than $2.5 million in aid from the CARES Act, which is administered by the county. Most of that aid has gone towards expenses related to sanitation and remote work technologies, according to the outlet. The video equipment for the Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex is the second-highest proposed expense, behind software and technology for emergency operations for $455,000.
Johnson County is the hardest-hit county in Kansas, with the highest number of coronavirus cases to date, according to data from the New York Times. New coronavirus cases and new deaths are both on the rise in Kansas, as state officials clash over potential restrictions, The Associated Press reported.