Members of the Erie County Legislature’s Minority Caucus are proposing a relief package for small businesses recovering from COVID-19 losses throughout Erie County. The proposal would use $22 million in CARES Act funding to be divided among businesses in each of Erie County’s 11 legislative districts.
"If we don’t use this money by the end of Dec we have to forfeit it back to the federal government. That’s why I’m very hopeful we can get this done," said Erie County Legislator Joseph Lorigo.
Erie County has approximately $100 million remaining in CARES Act funds.
Qualifying businesses would receive grants between $5,000 and $20,000 in adherence with the following restrictions:
- Applicants must be located within Erie County
- Applicants should have a three-year average annual revenue of $7.5 million or less
- Applicants must prove lost revenue beginning no earlier than March 2020
"We have a lot of programs available for small businesses," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. "So, we'll have to wait and see. But, I'm open to exploring the proposal."
