The Hays Chamber of Commerce is asking the city of Hays, Kansas, for up to $45,000 to help pay for marketing efforts related to child care, the Hays Post reports.
The money would be used to pay for a one-time operations grant as well as a $15,000 matching grant for a child care provider awareness campaign.
Chamber president and CEO Sara Wasinger told the city commission last week that the funds would allow her to "spend more time off-campus to be able to work on issues such as child care and things of that nature."
But commissioner Michael Berges wasn't so sure.
"You're taking this [child care] task on, but you run the chamber," he said.
"In a way, these [requested] funds are being used for advertisement to hire somebody," Berges said.
Wasinger said more than $20,000 had been spent on child care efforts this year.
But Berges said he was "acutely aware" of the child care worker shortage in Hays, which has a population of 5,200, the Kansas City Star reports.
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