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Economic Alliance seeks county to apply for CDBG microenterprise funds; public hearing held
Summary
The Economic Alliance asked commissioners to act as the applicant for a CDBG microenterprise technical‑assistance grant (about $250,000 over three years) to support small businesses; the board opened and closed a public hearing and commissioners voiced support for outreach.
The Economic Alliance asked the Okanogan County Board of Commissioners to serve as the applicant and pass funds through for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) microenterprise program that would provide technical assistance to very small businesses across the county.
The request matters because the county’s role as grantee enables small-business assistance funding and reporting for communities that lack other grant-administration capacity; the Economic Alliance said the award would help diversify its funding stream at a time when state and federal funding streams face uncertainty.
Ronnie Holder Diefenbach, representing the Economic Alliance, summarized the application during the public hearing and said the Alliance seeks roughly $250,000 for a three‑year program to fund a staff position that would provide technical assistance, outreach and reporting. “These dollars coming in from CDBG will tremendously help our budget,” she told commissioners.
Holder Diefenbach said the program targets microenterprises (businesses with five employees or fewer) across the county and that outreach would emphasize Latino and other underserved small‑business communities. “About 85 to 90% of all small businesses in Okanogan County fit within that microenterprise criteria,” she said. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about whether the program would fund loans or capital projects; Holder Diefenbach said the proposal focuses on personnel to deliver technical assistance and reporting, not loans or construction.
County staff said the CDBG manager at the state level (John Gallo) advised keeping the award simple — primarily a personnel line — to reduce administrative burden. Staff said they will do required monitoring and reporting on behalf of the county if the commission approves the county’s role as applicant and pass-through grantee.
The board opened and then closed the public hearing after no public commenters other than the speaker. Commissioners expressed support for the application and for outreach to small and Latino‑owned businesses. The board did not record a final vote on the application in the transcript, but staff said they will complete required application steps and reporting if the county accepts the grantee role.
Next steps: the Economic Alliance and county staff will complete the application and required outreach documentation, including bilingual notices and income/demographic forms for clients served, and will submit paperwork to the Department of Commerce/CDBG program.
