Third District Congresswoman Cindy Axne met in Mount Ayr last week with city and county leaders to discuss economic needs and to offer her support to help leaders access federal grants to address those needs.
The lack of affordable housing in the county was one topic of discussion.
Axne said she was the vice chair of the subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance which provides oversight housing programs in rural areas.
She said a part of the president’s Build Back Better agenda specifically addresses housing needs across the nation.
Axne added that the overall Build Back Better proposal will likely be divided into smaller individual pieces of legislation in an effort to gain more bipartisan approval.
She said she would prefer a smaller bill that would provide support for communities and working families in the areas of housing, childcare, education, and mental health.
Axne said her office would assist Mount Ayr city leaders in exploring various grant opportunities and provide letters of support for various grants related to the upcoming $9 million sewer system and waste water treatment plant upgrade.
She added rules related to federal funds provided to government agencies during COVID have been eased to allow any leftover funds to be used by those agencies for any legitimate purpose. She recommended the city and county check to see what funds they have leftover.
