YOUNGSTOWN — The head of an organization awarded $90,000 in American Rescue Plan funding four months ago by city council wants to know why it hasn’t received the money.

“We don’t know what else is needed as we’ve received no answer, no email, no phone call, no request for paperwork,” said Jimma McWilson, owner of the Family Empowerment Student Achievement Institute.

City council on Dec. 7 approved the $90,000 ARP allocation for the institute to provide tutorial services to undereducated former Youngstown school district students to help them find employment. The legislation was sponsored by Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward.

Each of the seven council members has $2 million to spend from the city’s $82,775,370 allocation. This $90,000 allocation is Hughes’ only request so far.

Before the money can be spent, the board of control — consisting of Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Law Director Jeff Limbian and Finance Director Kyle Miasek — has to authorize the expenditures.

There have been disagreements between council — which voted April 6, 2022, to give $2 million to each member to spend in the wards — and the board of control over how that money could be spent.

Board members have said some of council’s requests included language that is too vague and / or doesn’t follow federal ARP guidelines.

Regarding the student achievement request, Limbian said: “It’s a little concerning that there is the belief that because something passes through council that it will automatically be approved by the board of control.”

He added: “The board of control, under the authority of the administration, does an independent analysis of all matters. All legislation that passes through council is studied to determine if it is fiscally sound and has proven value before a board of control vote or implementation.”

The request was transferred to council’s education committee for further discussion, Limbian and McWilson said.

The committee, which meets infrequently, has no meeting scheduled.

“We would have expected someone to follow up and say it’s under review, and we have some concerns,” McWilson said.

But after a mid-March meeting Hughes had with Nikki Posterli, the mayor’s chief of staff, about the request, nothing has happened, McWilson said.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do with it,” McWilson said. “I would go through whatever process is needed. We’ll fill out whatever documents are needed. We haven’t been told what to do. There was no normal communication as to what was needed after council gave approval.”

McWilson said the program is new with those who graduated from the Youngstown City School District being eligible to get taught by those in the community who could assist them with finding employment, including filling out job applications — as some of them are unable to read despite having a high school diploma.

“Youngstown is the epicenter of failure in terms of undereducation, miseducation and misdirection of kids,” he said. “The system is failing.”

dskolnick@vindy.com