SEQUIM – Sequim City Council approved a proposal to make $250,000 available to businesses struggling because of the Governor’s stay-home order.
At Monday’s council meeting, City Manager Charlie Bush proposed the idea of using money from the City’s $1.8 million rainy day fund and make it available through the existing Sequim Chamber of Commerce Small Business Relief Fund.
“Businesses need funding, we do have the rainy day fund, it is a rainy day. This is definitely an unprecedented level of disaster, at least in my career. And I talked with the Chamber briefly about this, with the executive director. She said, actually if they get an application, their group can meet the next day to talk about it. So they can turn it around pretty quickly. I would recommend that the funding go to businesses within the Sequim corporate boundaries. Within our city limits.”
Bush’s proposal was that businesses would not have be Chamber members. He suggested focusing on businesses with 50 employees or less, not including national chain stores and the like.
Councilman Dennis Smith asked Bush if he was proposing allocating the funds as loans or gifts.
“These are grants, but I would recommend we set it up in such a way that they could be a loans. So there’s some flexibility. So we’re not tying the hands of the Chamber. I think we can write it a certain way to allow for that.”
Bush added that with the program already in place with the Chamber, the funds could be made available in a matter of a day or two, once an application is approved.
A motion to accept the proposal was made by Mayor Armacost and it passed with a vote of 4-1, with councilman Tenneson opposed.
City staff are now working with the Chamber to develop a contract for services in which the Chamber would invoice the City after a business has been sufficiently vetted.