Montgomery City Council delays vote on making grant funds available to local businesses

The clock is ticking for businesses in the city of Montgomery to file for grants from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Up to $3 million in ARPA funds are still available to the city, but the deadline to file for a grant program is in June. The Montgomery City Council tabled a motion to open the application process on March 24.  

Economic Development Director Frank Robinson told the Montgomery City Council on March 24 that the federal government has turned a loan program for small businesses into a grant program. That means businesses could use the funds to grow without taking on debt, which consultant Robin Booth described as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The deadline for applying for the small business grants is June, and the money must be distributed by December.

Councilor Charles Jinwright said he wanted more time to make sure that eligibility standards for the grants in in place before making the funds available. But Councilor Andrew Syzmanski said delaying the process could result in businesses missing the deadline.

“We all know that timing is factor here,” Syzmanski said. “I get concerned because the clock ticks really fast when it comes to this.”    

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Council President Cornelius Calhoun agreed with Synzmanski, while Councilor Marche Johnson concurred with Jinwright.

The council agreed to carry the item over for two weeks.

In other business, the council approved a request from Sweetpea Homes Executive Director Barbara Clark to rezone a property on Oak Street to provide housing for low-income citizens with a preference for veterans.

Despite concerns from resident Lonnie Smith that homeless veterans who are drug addicts could draw crime to the area, the request was approved unanimously.

The Montgomery City Council meets at 5 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of the month at City Hall on 103 North Perry Street. Recordings of meetings can be found on YouTube and Facebook.