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Board declines loan forgiveness request from Mountain Meadows Farms after hearing on animal attacks and expenses
Summary
The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors voted to deny a request to forgive a $50,000 Community Development Block Grant micro‑enterprise loan made to Mountain Meadows Farms after testimony that dog attacks and storm damage reduced revenues. The board voted to deny forgiveness, citing policy concerns and potential state-level repayment risk.
Brenda Ostrom, owner/operator of Mountain Meadows Farms, asked the Board of Supervisors on May 6 to forgive the remaining balance of a $50,000 micro‑enterprise loan after a series of events — including dog attacks that killed her poultry and several storms — severely reduced the farm’s income.
Ostrom told the board the farm averaged more than $36,000 a year in revenue from 2019 through 2021 but “the average has dropped to just over $3,000 amounting to a $99,000 loss over the past 3 years,” and that a dog attack destroyed the farm’s year‑round egg operation. She said the loan funds had been spent on infrastructure repairs, payroll and other expenses to retain employees and stabilize operations, and that she had exhausted other available federal and state disaster resources.
The request set off detailed staff and board discussion about program rules and county risk. Will Fassett, community design and development planner, explained the county’s micro‑enterprise loans are…
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