7.7.2020 Council creates $14 million Reopen Montgomery Business Assistance Program

Today the Montgomery County Council approved a special appropriation of $14 million to create the Reopen Montgomery Business Assistance Program, which will reimburse County businesses and non-profit organizations that incur reopening expenses to comply with new state and county health regulations due to the Covid-19 public health crisis. Funding for this appropriation comes from Public Health Emergency Grant funds and the federal CARES Act.

A business or non-profit organization is eligible to receive assistance from the Reopen Montgomery Business Assistance Program if it:

• has its physical locations only in the County or its County-based locations account for more than 50 percent of the business’s total number of employees or 50 percent of the business’s total sales;
• employs 100 or less full-time-equivalent employees;
• has not received financial assistance from the County for reopening expenses related to the Covid-19 health crisis; and
• has incurred reopening reimbursable expenditures between March 16, 2020 and 30 days following the County’s Phase Three reopening.

Reopening reimbursable expenditures are expenses incurred during reopening to comply with Maryland and Montgomery County Covid-19 health regulations. Allowable expenses include, but are not limited to, the following: personal protective equipment, materials to create barriers, dividers, protected areas, contactless payment systems, cleaning supplies, signage, outdoor furniture, and disposable food containers and utensils.

Each eligible business and non-profit may be awarded up to $5,000 for reopening reimbursable expenditures. The award will be based on actual, verified expenses for each business and non-profit organization and will be administered through a rolling lottery system.