Commission works with Bank 59 to simplify business-loan application, plans seminars
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Summary
Commissioners reported coordination with Bank 59 to simplify the village's role in a business-loan pool, agreed on a two-step application (village screening then bank underwriting), and planned seminars in early 2024 to promote the program while tracking attendance rather than setting loan-amount goals.
Commissioners reviewed progress on the Germantown business-loan pool and said they will work with Bank 59 to simplify the application and public outreach.
Chair (Speaker 3) said a meeting with Bank 59 branch manager Sherry Shatterberg showed the bank operates similar municipal loan programs elsewhere and that one municipality originated $450,000 in loans in a year. Commissioners agreed the village-side application was too intrusive and asked the bank to split the process into two steps: an initial village-level screening (to confirm a business operates in Germantown) and a second step handled by the bank for underwriting.
Commissioners proposed 2–3 seminars to publicize the program (the first likely in early February) and recommended tracking seminar attendance as the primary performance metric rather than establishing fixed loan-amount goals. Commissioner (Speaker 4) relayed that one prospective applicant withdrew because they perceived village questions as excessive; the commission agreed to clarify roles so the village only verifies basic eligibility while the bank conducts financial vetting.
The commission will ask Bank 59 to revise its application materials and will schedule seminars; village staff will test application language and include a field to ask applicants how they heard about the loan program, per a commissioner suggestion.