Breckenridge Town Council has finalized plans for a business rent relief program. Town staff hopes to have applications available for businesses by Monday, Jan. 4.
As businesses continue to struggle with the financial impacts of COVID-19 restrictions, Breckenridge Town Council is rolling out a grant application process to help keep businesses afloat.
The grants are designed to help cover January and February rent in a tiered format based on how much of a decrease in sales a business has experienced.
The council first discussed the tiered grant program at a special council meeting Dec. 22 and met again Tuesday, Dec. 29, to hammer out the details. Council decided the decrease in sales should be calculated from March through November and compared with the same nine-month period in 2019. The figures are based on sales taxes that are remitted to the town.
Photo by Elaine Collins
Breckenridge Town Council is planning another round of rent relief for business owners in any industry who can show a certain amount of revenue loss over the course of the year.
The grant was discussed at a special council meeting Tuesday, Dec. 22, and is intended to be a bridge that helps to pay January rent before businesses can apply for the next installment of the Paycheck Protection Program.
The town so far has issued $356,000 in rent relief to 82 approved restaurants following its announcement of a grant in November. Town officials did not discuss further rent relief for individuals because Assistant Town Manager Shannon Haynes reported that the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, which was given Breckenridge rent relief funds, is spending federal dollars to provide relief to renters and has not yet had to use the Breckenridge money.