OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Fiscal Affairs Officer Marsha Beach, left, and Treasurer Mark Woods are seen during the Dunkirk Common Council meeting Tuesday.

The Dunkirk Common Council authorized $300,000 Tuesday from federal stimulus funds for city employees who worked during the opening months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Criticized by some city officials and residents, including Dunkirk’s top two financial officials, the outlay from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds was approved 3-1. Councilman Marty Bamonto was the “nay” vote — not because he disapproved of the idea, but because he objected to its format. Specifically, he didn’t like that the funds will be distributed only among current employees, not those who retired or moved on.

“I think the $300,000 is a little high. I would go with $250,000,” he said. “Being a labor person that I am all these years, and pretty much everybody knows that in here, I think the people that worked, even if they retired or quit or went on, they were part of us, part of you that did that. In good conscience, being a labor person, I have to defend them and try to get them some money.”

Bamonto wanted the move tabled for more discussion, but councilpersons Nancy Nichols, Paul VanDenVouver and Don Williams provided the votes to pass it. Councilman James Stoyle was absent.

The move was criticized by city Treasurer Mark Woods and Marsha Beach, Dunkirk’s top financial officer, in a joint letter to Mayor Wilfred Rosas last week. On Tuesday, Williams and Nichols defended the outlay during their council reports.

“There are a couple different municipalities that are doing the same thing that we’re doing with the ARPA money,” Williams said, citing Cattaraugus and Erie counties.

“It’s something that is legally able to be done,” he continued. “I believe that our firefighters, our police officers, our DPW people, our supervisors, our office workers, everybody who worked through that, had something different that they had to go through. We all did.

“To have a little bit of something extra that we can do through this, I think it’s a good way to tell them, ‘thank you for going out there and keeping the city open.’ Nobody put their garbage out to the curb that wasn’t picked up.

Nobody called the fire department that they didn’t show up to go put something out or an emergency call. Same thing with the police department and the people who do all the other stuff.”

Nichols said two council members had COVID-19 severely and it affected their families, and “many, many of our city employees also were in contact with COVID and it did affect their families.

“We don’t know if there’s going to be any long-term effects. This is not a payback. This is, ‘You guys did your job. You were there,’ ” she said.

Nichols’ and Williams’ statements were a response to comments made by Ned Divine, the city Democratic Party chairman, blasting the plan.

“Let me very clear, I am not speaking against hard working city employees who worked through the pandemic, receiving some extra compensation,” Divine said during the public comments portion of the meeting. “However, what some members of this council put forward is a Christmas gift for themselves. I find it upsetting that they think they are as deserving as DPW, fire, police and office staff who worked to report to duty on the front lines.”

Another city resident, Gary Frederickson, also criticized the outlay. “I think it’s a bad idea, I’m opposed to it. I think it sets a bad precedent,” he said. “It’s money that should be used to benefit all city residents, not just city employees. I think it separates city employees from city residents and taxpayers.

“I think there’s better ways to use that money with the projects that the city still needs to finish,” he concluded.