Last night at the City Council meeting, one of the big items on the agenda was how to disperse the $1.5 million that the City has recently received as a part of the Cares Act.
This money (ok, let’s be honest it is indeed all of our tax dollars at work here…) was approved by Congress a few months ago in response to the financial and public health crisis created by the coronavirus and the various shut-downs and other burdens that state and cities all over the US have had to bear.
When we looked at the agenda and the proposed allocation of funding, I must say that I personally was bummed by how little was going to the private sector, given how viable our small businesses have remained in town and their importance to our local economy.
To give credit where it is certainly due, the City Council stepped up, with Councilwoman Folda raising a hand to say that the proposed $80,000 seemed a bit small. Councilwoman Bridges suggested $250K, then James Howard Adams suggested $150K and the Mayor offered a middle range of $200,000 which was approved. So, while it doesn’t appear to be something planned in advance it certainly is welcome.
The new funding breakdown then, is as follows:
– Maximum $1,258,373 for Public Safety Payroll
– Up to $200,000 for small business grants and administrative costs
– Up to $20,000 for communications compliance
– Up to $150,000 for all day Parks and Recreation Child Care program
– Up to $20,000 for food purchase by Senior Center of Boulder City
– Up to $50,000 for rent and mortgage assistance and utility assistance to be administered by Emergency Aid of Boulder City
Let’s hope that those businesses who are still struggling to make ends meet can take advantage of some of this assistance, as we don’t want to see anymore business closures as a result of the pandemic! Way to go BC City Council!
