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Council requests outreach plan for upcoming small-business grants, staff to share details and assist applicants
Summary
Council discussed business grants awarded during the pandemic and upcoming grant rounds; staff said they will provide previous award lists and an outreach plan and will work with ICON CDC and the Business & Community Resource Center to help Spanish-speaking proprietors apply.
Councilmembers discussed business grants the city has offered during the pandemic and asked staff for greater transparency and outreach ahead of a new grant application round.
Staff said council previously approved pandemic-era grants (noting an earlier $410,000 total across programs) and that the current small-business grant program will include a robust outreach plan. Deputy City Manager Kanika Kith said staff will work with ICON CDC to provide application assistance, conduct door-to-door outreach to businesses, participate in business-watch meetings and advertise via social media. Staff said the application period has not yet opened and that the city will publish outreach dates and locations; staff committed to including an outreach timeline in the city manager's next biweekly email.
Councilmember Patty Lopez requested a presentation or an open-house session to explain eligibility and application steps to business owners; staff said they will provide the November report summarizing prior grants, meet one-on-one on request and include the outreach plan in the city manager's next public update. ICON CDC will host office hours to assist Spanish-speaking applicants and the Business & Community Resource Center will coordinate in-person support when needed.
