Yesterday the Sierra Vista City Council held a special meeting to determine how the proposed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding will be allocated in our community. You can watch the full meeting below and download the agenda and related documents here. Because of its urgent nature, the public comment period for this item will be closed on Monday, May 11, 2020. If you are interested in submitting a public comment on the Amendments to the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan and Five-Year Consolidated Plan (CDBG) or the Annual Draft Action Plan, you can use the form on this page.
May 5, 2020 Special City Council Meeting:
Call to Order 3:00 PM
Roll Call
Item 1 Acceptance of the Agenda
Public Hearing
Item 2 Proposed Substantial Amendment to Program Year 2019 Annual Action Plan and 2019-2023 Consolidated Plan Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program (Citizen Participation Plan)
Adjournment
Brief Meeting Summary:
During the course of this meeting, council came to a consensus on a couple of changes to the proposed amendment. The first having to do with the Competitive Selection Criteria for the business grant program. The original rubric values assigned were Capacity and Experience to Operate the Business (20 points), Readiness to Proceed (10 points), Infectious Disease Response (20 points), Job/Employee Retention (30 points), Minority/Women Business Enterprise or Business Owner with Low-Moderate Income (10 points), and Project Costs (10 points). In an effort to make the criteria fairer, council asked that Minority/Women Business Enterprise or Business Owner with Low-Moderate Income, and Project Costs both be weighed at 5 points each and Readiness to Proceed be worth 20 points. The second change was to how the total $159,897 of CARES Act funding would be used. At our previous Work Session, council had tentatively decided to allocate $100,000 to a grant program for small businesses and $59,897 to basic social services. After some discussion, it was decided that $120,000 would go into the business side and $39,897 to the public services side.
In addition to those changes, council agreed to have another special meeting on Tuesday, May 12th, (prior to the regular Work Session) to vote on these amendments. Council and staff are doing everything we can to get the CARES Act money into the hands of individuals and local businesses here in Sierra Vista that are being impacted by COVID-19 in the most efficient and fair way possible given the federal guidelines.
As always, please contact me at Carolyn.Umphrey@SierraVistaAZ.gov with any comments or questions. I love hearing from you!
