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Irving mayor credits community partnerships for pandemic relief, outlines local support programs
Summary
Mayor Rick Stoffer told attendees the city used federal and local partnerships to maintain essential services, deliver food and rent assistance, and set up programs to reach businesses excluded from federal relief during the pandemic.
Mayor Rick Stoffer opened Irving’s 2021 State of the City from Levy Event Plaza by saying, "It has been a year like no other," and described how the city mobilized to keep residents and staff safe while sustaining services.
Stoffer said the city declared a disaster early to access emergency funding and stood up an emergency operations center that coordinated food distribution, rent assistance, childcare supports and public information. He credited nonprofit groups, faith organizations, the Irving Economic Development Partnership and business partners for helping distribute meals, PPE and other supports.
"We put together some plans with how do we get food out into the community? How do we provide for education throughout the community? How do we provide for information to the public?" Stoffer said, describing outreach and communication through the city’s ICTN channel and websites.
The mayor described a local program created to reach franchise businesses that the initial federal small-business programs excluded, saying the city "threw a couple $1,000,000 in it for the franchisees with the city of Irving." He also cited partnerships with the Irving Schools Foundation and the North Texas Food Bank to keep families fed while schools shifted to remote learning.
The mayor emphasized protecting essential employees, saying the city used federal CARES Act dollars for overtime and equipment and upgraded ventilation and protective gear in public-facing departments.
The program included video tributes to frontline workers and examples of volunteer and corporate contributions, which the mayor said demonstrated sustained community commitment. The State of the City ended with Stoffer reiterating the event’s theme: "together today for a stronger tomorrow."
