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Clarksburg business owners say city grant wrongly counted nine independent stylists as one
Summary
Public commenters told the Clarksburg City Council that a one-time downtown construction impact grant treated nine licensed barbers and stylists at Cap's Consortium as a single recipient, and urged an immediate review to apply the resolution's eligibility criteria to each affected business.
Camden Collup, speaking for Cap's Consortium and nine licensed barbers and stylists, told the council the nine small businesses were improperly treated as a single entity when the city awarded a $4,200 grant tied to downtown road work. "Cap's Consortium is one location, but it represents nine livelihoods, nine families," Collup said, urging council to "review the specific situation immediately" so each licensed professional receives the relief their businesses qualify for under the resolution.
Collup argued the city's resolution defines eligibility as "individually owned, locally operated retail businesses" holding valid city and state licenses and located in the impacted area, and that each of the stylists meets those criteria. He told council the denial justification given to tenants'representatives referenced a single "fire fee," a reason Collup said is not included in the resolution.
Other small-business speakers echoed that concern. Heather Chase of Eclipse Salon said she applied for the same grant and was told she was ineligible because she does not "own a storefront" and does not pay a fire fee, despite meeting the document's four stated requirements for eligibility. "According to your resolution, the denial should not have happened," Chase said, asking for an explanation and reconsideration.
Council members responded that the grant program was rolled out quickly and with good intentions, but that implementation left businesses feeling excluded. Multiple council members called for follow-up, with several urging a work session to tighten eligibility language and review denials. Councilmember Deems said the council must "come back and discuss" and acknowledged the scope of the downtown project contributed to the complexity of administering relief.
Mayor and council members described the program as experimental and said staff should be contacted directly to resolve individual cases. Vice Mayor Jerry Riffle noted the city will try to "get it right" and encouraged affected business owners to reach out to council if they believe the resolution was not followed.
The council did not announce an immediate reversal or an automatic payment to the nine Cap's Consortium professionals during the meeting; instead, council members promised further review and potential corrective action at a later date. The controversy over who qualifies under the resolution remained unresolved by the session's end.
