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Council approves $100,000 in ARPA funds for Westland Youth Athletic Association to support programs
Summary
The council adopted a resolution to allocate up to $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Westland Youth Athletic Association to support programming and reduce participation barriers; councilmembers emphasized oversight and invoice-based disbursement.
The Westland City Council approved a resolution allocating up to $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Westland Youth Athletic Association (WYAA) to support local youth sports programming.
Councilwoman Melandy Rakowski, who moved the resolution, said the allocation is intended to support five youth-sport entities in the city — the two football teams, cheer, soccer and baseball — and to keep organized recreation accessible. “This allocation is to support all five of the entities that drive the youth sports in our community,” Rakowski said.
Council members described the funding as a way to address program shortfalls and reduce fees for families. Councilman Romano and others praised the effort for helping children participate in team sports rather than staying indoors.
Pro Tem Melissa Sampey, a member of the ARPA subcommittee that drafted the recommendation, described the planned oversight for disbursement. “We’re gonna authorize this a hundred thousand. We’re gonna work with Director Adams to take the invoices as they come in,” Sampey said, adding that the administration and WYAA leadership will provide line-item invoices so the city can track expenditures.
Sampey also provided specific figures the WYAA leadership shared with the council to illustrate need: “Baseball’s running…about $18,000 in the red. Comet’s football and cheer is $71,000 in the red. Meteors is $71,000,” she said, summarizing budget shortfalls the organizations reported.
Council members said the funding was intended to supplement, not replace, the groups’ fundraising. The motion passed with no dissent recorded.
What the council approved: a resolution authorizing the allocation of ARPA funds to WYAA, up to $100,000, with invoice-based disbursement and administrative oversight.
Why it matters: The funding aims to preserve access to youth sports programming and to cover operating shortfalls for local leagues and teams that serve hundreds of children in Westland.
Next steps: Administration will coordinate with WYAA on invoice submission and tracking; council members said they expect continued reporting on expenditures and program outcomes.
