OTTUMWA, IOWA -- As Washington continues to wrestle over the country’s national debt and budget, local governments across the country are starting to wonder if their local programs that are funded by the federal government will be reduced or even eliminated.
KTVO spoke with Ottumwa Mayor Dale Uehling Tuesday afternoon. Mayor Uehling said that some projects in Ottumwa are funded by the federal government, and that there is concern that some grant money or payments could be delayed.
“It won’t affect us having to lay off people, but it could affect projects. For example, right now we have already been told that the FAA project at the airport has been shut down. We are also concerned about getting payments for some of our grant money – the grants have been approved, but as we turn in and draw down on those grants, they might not be processed, so we may not get our money on a timely basis and that is a real concern,” said Mayor Uehling.
Mayor Uehling also stated that this whole situation is a, “wait and see” situation.
“I think we are going to have to wait and see, but it could be serious and affect us somewhat. Critical, no, we will be able to continue operation of our city and I think the same way of the state, they will be able to continue; but I think there will be an affect on grants and money coming in and processing that federal money,” said Mayor Uehling.
We reached out to officials with Wapello County today for their reaction on the situation, and by Tuesday evening we had received no response. We do know from past interviews that the county is concerned about the crisis in Washington and KTVO will work to get a reaction on the latest news.
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