Loading...
Transmittal - 9/2/2022DEPARTMENT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ERIN MENDENHALL MAYOR LORENA RIFFO JENSON INTERIM DIRECTOR CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL _______________________ Date Received: ___________ Lisa Shaffer, Chief Administrative Officer Date sent to Council: ___________ __________________________________________________________________ TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: September 2, 2022 Dan Dugan, Chair FROM: Lorena Riffo -Jenson, Interim D irector, Department of Economic Development SUBJECT: Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program Resolution and Program Guidelines STAFF CONTACTS: Peter Makowski, Project Manager, peter.makowski@slcgov.com DOCUMENT TYPE: Written Briefing RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the resolution creating the Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program and approve program guidelines BUDGET IMPACT: $100,000 – General Fund (allocated in Budget Amendment #4) BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: In response to the City Council’s request for updates to the Outdoor Business Activities Grant Program guidelines, presented to City Council on August 9, 2022, the Department of Economic Development is providing a written briefing and the following program guideline updates: •The Council requested a reporting mechanism, once applications close, to be included in a transmittal for a written briefing. The transmittal will include details of the applicants, such as their location, size, whether all of the avail able funding was awarded to grantees. Future analytics would include how well the businesses performed; was it a fruitful investment? •The Council would like the grant funding to be made available to businesses to use for prior purchases as well as future expenses. •The Council would like to ensure that businesses which received the reduced leases be included in the notification process for the grant program. 9/2/2022 9/2/2022 Lisa Shaffer (Sep 2, 2022 12:19 PDT) Attachments: A.Resolution B.Draft Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program Guidelines (Updated) RESOLUTION NO. ____ OF 2022 Creation of Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program WHEREAS, beginning in March 2020, and continuing to the present, Salt Lake City’s small business economy has been severely and adversely impacted by the global outbreak of COVID-19; and WHEREAS, Salt Lake City Corporation (the “City”) desires to support small businesses located in Salt Lake City during this outbreak by creating a grant program referred to as the Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program (the “Grant Program), to be administered by the City’s Department of Economic Development (the “DED”); and WHEREAS, DED recommends creating the Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program using the grant criteria and process set forth on Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated herein (the “Program Guidelines”). NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah: 1. The Council approves the creation of the Grant Program, to be administered pursuant to the Program Guidelines. 2. The Grant Program may operate until September 30, 2023, at which time it will be reviewed by the Council to determine if it is meeting its objectives and whether it shall continue. 3. The Council hereby authorizes the Mayor or her designee to negotiate and execute any documents required to effectuate the Grant Program and any individual grant to a qualifying business on the terms outlined in the Program Guidelines, and incorporating such other terms and agreements as recommended by the City Attorney’s office. Passed by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah this ___ day of _________, 2022. SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ___________________________________ Dan Dugan, Chair ATTEST AND COUNTERSIGN: __________________________ ACTING CITY RECORDER Approved as to form: ___________________________ Sara Montoya Salt Lake City Attorney’s Office Date: September 1, 2022 EXHIBIT A OUTDOOR BUSINESS ACTIVITY GRANT PROGRAM GUIDELINES The Outdoor Business Activity Grant Progra m, administered by Salt Lake City Corporation ’s (“City”) Department of Economic Development (“DED”) is designed to assist restaurant and retail businesses expand their services and operations outdoors by providing funding for or reimbursing costs associated with “outdoor business activities.” These activities include outdoor retail, dining and bar operations, on both public and private property, that allows businesses to serve more customers during surges in the pandemic or as part of ongoing econo mic recovery from the pandemic . Grant funding will reimburse be used to cover costs for items such as outdoor patio materials, furniture, fixtures, equipment and City -related fees. Applications will be reviewed and scored to determine whether the grant application meets grant guideline requirements and funding availability. Businesses are required to define a clear description of their business operations, pro ject description, and documentation detailing how the grant funds will be used as reimbursement. 1.Definitions Fixed Business Location: A permanent place of doing business in this state, such as an office, warehouse, storefront, or similar location owned or controlled by an employer. Open Streets: An event that closes a City street to cars, allowing pedestrians to use the street and businesses to u tilize the sidewalk for Outdoor Business Activities. Outdoor Business Activities Any retail, or restaurant activity, include retail sales, retails services, or outdoor dining, that would typically occur insi de a building or structure but is operating outside and adjacent to the anchor business. Qualifying Business: A business that meets the Eligibility Criteria described in Section 2.A herein and that has applied for grant funding for one or more Qualifying Use(s) of Funds, as described in Section 2.C herein. Temporary Business Permit: A temporary permit, issued by Real Estate Services, which offered a prorated, monthly fee to businesses leasing City right-of -way for outdoor dining and retail. This permit was created in response to the COVID -19 pandemic under City Emergency Proclamation and expired in May 2021 . 2.General A.Funding The City has allocated $100,000 which will be used to directly fund qualifying businesses. The funding amounts available for each project are as follows: •Outdoor Business Activities: up to $5000 •Open Streets events: up to $10,000 Grant funds will be issued to fund or reimburse the grantees costs associated with Outdoor Business Activities and Open Streets events. The applicants are required to submit bids, quotes, invoices, receipts, or proof of purchase before being issued grant f unds. Funding is dependent on meeting application criteria, approved use of funds, and availability of funds. B.Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for the Outdoor Business Activity Grant Program a business must: •Be located within Salt Lake City limits: Review Salt Lake City boundaries here: https://www.slc.gov/council/find -your-council-member/ •Have a current Salt Lake City Business License •Operate out of a Fixed Business Location •Be defined as in -person retail, restaurant, or bar •Request reimbursement/funding for c osts, including Temporary Business Permits, accrued as of April 1, 2021 C.Qualifying Use of Funds Grant funds must be used to fund or reimburse costs associated with Outdoor Business Activities, including dining and retail. These uses will be reflect ed in the Budget section of the application. The following uses of funds qualify for reimbursement grant funding: •Outdoor dining/retail furniture, fixtures and equipment (tables, chairs, barrier/patio building materials) •Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) •City fees related to outdoor dining (i.e. Temporary Business permits, Use and Fire Operational permits, Outdoor Revocable permits, Building Permits, Special Events permits, encroachment permits) •Open Streets event costs D. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion To ensure the grant program is available to all potential applicants, DED has instituted the following measures to ensure the program is equitable, transparent and inclusive: •20% of funds ($20,000) is set aside for businesses located west of I-15. •Application materials will be provided in multiple languages. •Online and paper applications will be accepted. •Application assistance will be provided by DED and The International Rescue Committee for applicants in need of translation or other specific needs. These measures were developed and approved by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Equity and Inclusion are aligned with the SLC Citywide Equity Plan. D.Outreach and Engagement To promote the grant program within the community and to ensure engagement and access to all qualified businesses, DED will take the following measures: •Provide physical promotional materials i.e., flyers, paper applications •Host online promotion and applications on the department website •Social media engagement •Promotion through community partners and business associations •Multilingual promotional materials and applications distributed through culturally - diverse partner organizations •Promotion to all businesses that accessed City permits for Outdoor Business Activities after April 1, 2021 3.Grant Criteria A.Application Information The following information will be required for each grant application: General: •Applicant/Business Name •Business Location address •Demographic Information (optional) •Amount requesting ($100 – $10,000) Business Description : Provide a summary of the type of business, and their general operations, applying for the grant. Description must include: •Address of business’ Fixed Business Location •Proof of current Salt Lake City Busin ess License •Number of employees Project Description : Describe the project for which grant funds are requested. I f applicant previously hosted an Open Streets Event, please i nclude a description of participating artists, where and when the project took place, what types of arts activities were offered, and how the requested grant funds were used. Use of Funds : Outline the costs associated with the project . Applicants must prov ide the following: •Vendor •Qualifying Use of Funds type (building materials, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and permits) •Invoices, quotes, bids, receipts and/or proof of purchase B.Application Deadline APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY SEPTEMBER 30, 202 3 Applications must be complete to be considered for funding. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Qualifying applicants will be approved for funds on a first -come, first-served basis, provided the City has grant funds available. C.Review Process Applications will be reviewed by the Grant Administrator (the “Administrator”). The Administrator is Salt Lake City Corporation staff; the Administrator will meet to review grant applications on a first come, first serve basis. The Administrator will review applications and award grantees provided the completion of the three sections of the application described in Section 4.A., herein. Once the application is complete the Administrator will conduct a review to confirm the applicant meets eligibility criteria and approved use of funds. Funds are limited and grant s will be awarded based on application requirements being met and the availability of funds. Grantees will be notified upon final approval. 4.Grant Funding A.Grant Funding Requirements The following is required to receive grant funding. Checks will be issued once all requirements are met: •Each applicant must complete and sign the Grant Agreement •Use of funds are supported by invoices , receipts, and/or bids •Issuance of permit(s) (if applicable) 5.Grant Reporting A.Applicant Reporting Requirements Once the application period closes, or funds are no longer available, DED will provide the following reports to City Council by January 1, 2024: •Applicant information o Business Location o Demographic Data o Number of employees (business size) o Funding Type (outdoor dining/retail or Open Streets) o Funding amount B.End -of-Program Reporting Requirements In order to measure the impact of grant funding on participating businesses , DED will provide the following data analysis by Sep tember 2024 to demonstrate the impact of the grant funds on the grantee business operations . •Sales Tax/Revenue Analysis o Sales Tax percentage increase for participating businesses o Sales data provided by grantees (optional) •Business Testimonials o Provided by grantees (optional)