County accepts $1.4 million for business COVID-19 relief

Yamhill County has received $1.4 million from the state of Oregon to provide businesses affected by COVID-19 disruptions, County Administrator Ken Huffer told county commissioners on Thursday.

Commissioners unanimously approved Huffer’s acceptance of the money.

Huffer said the county has a short timeline to make an application available and then distribute the money, which will make it challenging.

He said his goal is to have an application on the county’s website next Friday, Dec. 11, with a deadline a week later on the 18th, and hopes to send out award notifications to businesses on December 28, with all the checks sent by Jan. 15.

An earlier round of business grants was limited to businesses with 25 or fewer employees, but these funds will be available for businesses with up to 100 employees.

Huffer said he plans to structure the grants to prioritize businesses that have been ordered to close under state rules, such as gyms and restaurants, followed by those that have experienced “significant disruption,” defined as a 50% decrease to their operations. In the third tier, he said, would be all remaining businesses. He said the choices would be ranked by region and priority, and then drawn by lottery.