A recent report from county staff to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners shows that a lot of businesses have been taking advantage of the county’s program to give grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses within the county.
However, the county has about $20 million to give out, and as of Thursday, June 18, it had only awarded $2.67 million of that amount.
You would think that word of a program that is basically handing out free money to small businesses hurt by the pandemic would be widely known and accessed by business leaders in the community, but county commissioners and county staff have begun to discuss running advertisements in local media publicizing the grant program since many, many area businesses that qualify haven’t applied.
According to a report provided to the commissioners, the average award so far is $5,984, with the smallest award being $33.01 and the largest being $10,000. The commissioners have discussed raising the current $10,000 grant limit since there’s so much money left in the pot. However, doing so would bring in a host of legal questions that make it likely that that current cap will stay the same.
The report reveals that the county got the highest number of applications for the money at the beginning of the program. On Wednesday, June 3, there were 241 applications for the initiative that’s being funded by a $94 million federal grant to Guilford County to provide relief from coronavirus damage. On Wednesday, June 17, that number was down to 80 applications. On June 7, the county only received 24 applications.
According to the June 18 report, at that point, 58 percent of the applications had been denied, 38 percent were approved and 4 percent were pending.
What are you giving your senior citizens & the people that are hungry or can’t pay their rent or light bill, etc. We all need help!
The pensioners are being wiped out by INFLATION, the most cruel tax of all. The fault lies at the printing press in Washington. Another reason that Congress has an 11 percent approval rate. The City or State can’t print paper, only the Federal Government. For example, my wife and I are both retired. We have a modest home an two older cars. We have no debt. Even with that, our two SS checks alone are not enough to pay our monthly expenses.
You know the drill. Prices on virtually everything are visibly going up. Utilities are a big burden. Duke Power asks for huge rate increases, while their sources of power like natural gas and oil have reached multi-year lows.
Folks who haven’t accumulated some extra for their senior years have been unlucky, or spent everything on the way. Either way, it is not my responsibility to be coerced into the dole out to other people. Charity begins at home, not downtown.
You wanna help business, and their customers? Reduce the property tax rate. Balance the budget. Pay off the debt. Leadership 101 is to lead by example. And what kind of example does our Govt set for us? Govt lives way beyond its means, largely funded by money extorted from the taxpayer. And what kind of example is that?
Cripple the Coop
I am a Guilford County resident and have been self employed since 1977. My business was completely shut down due to the virus panic and ensuing bans on public gatherings.
I participate in fine art festivals across the US. Many of the festivals are in states that don’t have a state income tax, or don’t charge tax on income, like TN.
Although I’m a NC resident for over 40 years, I don’t participate in any NC festivals, however I do pay the State of NC income tax on all of the revenue derived from sales of my work.
I don’t qualify according to the guidelines set by Guilford County. I went from a solid income to zero due exclusively to executive orders from various government officials in response to the panic over the Covid-19 virus.
However, my landscaping and home repair projects are looking really good.
Annalisa lee don’t not my email