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County considers retooled ARPA small-business grants with strict monitoring
Summary
Booth Management Consulting proposed turning the county's ARPA small-business program into a grant-driven pathway with required technical assistance, risk-based advances and rigorous monthly reconciliation; commissioners pressed for clarity on available funds and prior compliance issues.
Montgomery County commissioners on Wednesday heard a proposal to convert remaining ARPA funds for small businesses from a patchwork of loans and technical-assistance contracts into a consolidated grant program with mandatory oversight.
Robin Booth, principal of Booth Management Consulting, told the commission her firm's "Vibrant Small Business Pathways" model would distribute grants (not loans), require at least 10 hours of technical assistance before final awards, and use risk-based advances with monthly reconciliation to limit fraud and ensure compliance. "We're not putting additional debt on small businesses," Booth said. "We're giving them capital input and the technical support to use it well."
Frank Robinson, the city's economic development director, framed the change as an "implementation adjustment" rather than a structural…
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