Oak Park trustees vote to spend an additional $500K to help migrants through winter
OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- The village board in Oak Park voted Monday night to allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars to help migrants through the winter.
It was a divisive vote that sparked controversy among Oak Park trustees, with the debate going late into the night.
In the end, Oak Park trustees decided to extend its emergency declaration and spend an additional $500,000 to support migrants through the winter. That's a compromise from the original proposal to spend $1 million through March.
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The additional money is coming from unspent federal funds, not from local taxes. The vote was four to three to approve the measure.
Some trustees were trying to come to terms with how much money is being spent on new arrivals.
"I can't see doing that for 160 people in a village of 54,000 people," Oak Park Trustee Cory Wesley said. "I can't see setting that precedent, right because when do we say 'No' now? If we are saying it's only for these people, then it's inequitable."
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"Already, what I've learned along this journey, I think is going to benefit us and how we serve all residents of Oak Park and our homelessness challenge is here," Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman said.
There are hundreds of migrants in Oak Park that are being helped by the village or by churches.
Meanwhile, the village is scheduled to meet with Cook County officials to see if they can provide some funding support in the future.
