Council Plans to Help Cover Business Reopening Expenses

Montgomery County Councilmembers are creating a Reopen Montgomery program to offer grants of up to $5,000 to businesses and non-profit organizations to cover costs incurred in reopening their establishments.

The county expects to allocate $14 million using $4 million from unused Public Health Emergency Grant funds and $10 million in federal grants from Coronavirus Aid, Relief and and Economic Stability Act funding.

Some of the items that would be covered include personal protective equipment, materials to create separate and protected areas, contactless payment systems, cleaning supplies, signage, outdoor furniture and disposable food containers.

Rather than award these grants on a first-come, first-served basis, the county plans to hold a rolling lottery and will chose from the applicants every two weeks. Companies not receiving a grant automatically would be thrown back into the pool to be considered during the next round, explained Tina Benjamin, Special Projects Director for County Executive Marc Elrich. She spoke during the July 6 County Council Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting.

Hopefully it will be as simple as supplying receipts and getting a grant, said Councilmember Hans Reimer, who chaired the meeting.

Here is information on what companies are eligible for the grants.

About Suzanne Pollak

Suzanne is a freelance reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She has over 35 years professional experience writing for newspapers, magazines, non-profit newsletters and the web.

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