Concerns raised about grant program

Changes are coming within the next week to Portland Mayor John Boggs’ new COVID-19 relief grant program.

The Portland Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) Advisory Committee met Monday to discuss shortcomings of the city’s Small Business Resilience Grant program as it stands, unchanged since Boggs established it by executive order 12 days ago, and how to improve it before applications open.

Boggs said he would like applications for the grant to open by the end of next week but committee members and city attorney Bill Hinkle had concerns over the vagueness of the program and how it could be potentially taken advantage of.

“If you don’t put some limitations on what you have, I think you will get inundated,” Hinkle said.

Per the order, any retail business within the Portland taxing district is eligible for a grant up to $1,250 to cover expenses related to the ongoing pandemic.

Committee chairman Travis Richards compared the current grant to applications in surrounding counties for similar programs. Those applications had more stringent requirements for grant applicants, such as businesses being required to provide their federal tax code and prove employees live in the area.

Hinkle also suggested modeling the grant application after the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which required applicants to provide supplemental financial records and specifically directed what the money could and couldn’t be spent on.

Boggs said he didn’t want the application to be “cumbersome” and thus dissuading business owners from applying.

Committee members were directed to review applications from other counties, the Payment Protection Program and the EDIT committee's own funding application to gather ideas for what the grant application could look like.

The committee plans to meet again Thursday to possibly ratify changes to the grant’s application requirements so Portland City Council can review it before its meeting Monday.

Committee members Janet Powers, Lori Phillips, Mike Aker and Boggs, absent Kent McClung, also heard from Richards that he is waiting to receive the full contents of the mortgage First Bank of Berne has on Rollin J Lanes before he finalizes a $50,000 loan agreement with the bowling alley, an agreement that was approved by Portland City Council in July.