Westborough EDC weighs changes to small-business grant rubric, keeps $60,000 annual pool

The Westborough Economic Development Committee on Aug. 6 reviewed and debated changes to its small-business grant rubrics, emphasizing transparency for applicants and reworking scoring that members said could unfairly disadvantage very small businesses.

The committee reiterated that the town allocates $60,000 per fiscal year for the program, which aims to stimulate vacant storefronts and underutilized commercial space in the Town of Westborough. Fred, the community development director, described the rubric as an internal scoring tool the committee uses to make funding recommendations and said staff will post the rubric on the town website and share it directly with applicants.

Members questioned several point allocations. One concern centered on job-creation thresholds that currently award points for projects creating three or more full-time jobs; multiple members, including Holly, argued that requirement could penalize sole proprietors and very small downtown businesses. Committee members proposed lowering or restructuring those bands (for example reducing a top tier to five-plus jobs or adding a two-job tier) to better reflect local business sizes.

The committee also discussed incentives for first-floor storefronts tied to an existing state tax incentive that can provide up to $10,000 for qualifying vacant storefronts; Fred said the EDC has matched those incentives in the past, sometimes up to $10,000. Members agreed to make clear in application materials when such state or federal matches exist and when the EDC may supplement those incentives.

On validation of counseling or business plans, members debated whether evidence of engagement with organizations such as SCORE or SBDC should be validated or simply self-attested. "We can reach out to our contacts at SCORE," Fred said, but several members said the rubric should avoid imposing onerous proof requirements that might discourage applicants. The committee favored a balanced approach: awarding points for documented work with counseling organizations or for a developed business plan while keeping point values modest where validation is difficult.

Other proposed rubric changes included consolidating years-in-business scoring into a single noncumulative line (for example, 5+ years, 10+ years), adding a small number of points for interior improvements and introducing points for dollar-for-dollar matching funds to demonstrate "skin in the game." Members agreed the rubric is a guide and that applicants’ in-person presentations should also factor into funding decisions.

No final vote was taken. Unidentified Speaker 3 moved to shelve definitive changes until Fred circulates an edited rubric; the committee agreed to reconvene the discussion in September or October and to proceed with grant awards already in the pipeline for the September meeting. The committee also asked staff to post the rubric and to add clearer explanatory language so applicants understand scoring and application expectations.