Waterville city employees to get COVID-19 relief bonuses this week

WATERVILLE — City employees will get bonuses in their paychecks this week as the City Council on Monday voted to use $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money for that purpose.

City Manager Steve Daly said full-time employees will get $1,000 each and part-time workers will receive $500 each.

Police patrol officers, detectives and dispatchers will get an additional $500, so they will receive $1,500 each, according to Daly.

Full-time fire department employees will get $1,500 each and the list of on-call firefighters presented by fire Chief Shawn Esler will get $500 each as they worked through the state of emergency, he said.

About $23,000 in remaining funds for bonuses will be distributed equally among all existing city staff, Daly added.

Councilor Rebecca Green, D-Ward 4, a member of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act Advisory Committee, said the committee decided to allot the $150,000 with the idea that the city could do whatever it wanted with the funds.

The 6-0 council vote followed another unanimous vote to transfer rescue plan funds to the city’s general fund. Councilor Thomas Klepach, D-Ward 3, was absent from the meeting.

Councilor Rick Foss, R-Ward 5, thanked all city staff, including police and firefighters, who have worked through the pandemic.

“I hope this money finds a good spot in your life,” Foss said.

ARPA committee member Paul Raymond and Council Chairman Erik Thomas, D-Ward 7, echoed Foss’ comments, with Thomas saying employees, who work hard all the time and not just during the pandemic, will receive bonuses this week.

“We’re really lucky with the employees we have in the city,” he said.

The city has received about half of the $1.7 million it was allotted in ARPA funds.

The council last week voted to give $400,000 in ARPA funds to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter and $50,000 to help fund one year of the Police Department’s Operation HOPE program which helps place people addicted to opioids in treatment facilities.

The $400,000 in relief funds to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter includes $200,000 for a master leasing program, $155,000 for diversion and $45,000 for a year’s worth of case management.

Mayor Jay Coelho had requested the special meeting be held Monday to ensure the council voted in time for city employees to get their bonuses before Christmas, which is one week from Saturday.