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Clovis gives CARES application details

CLOVIS — Apply early. And, possibly down the road, apply often.

Officials from the city of Clovis, Clovis Community College's Small Business Development Center and the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce spoke Monday to detail what will be the first round of applications for more than $4 million the city received in CARES Act funding for small business continuity grants.

“Our local businesses are strong and resilient,” Clovis Mayor Mike Morris said. “That being said, we're hopeful and I'm hopeful these continuity grants will go a long way in easing the burden.”

Applications for the grants, which will help small businesses with expenses incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be available in paper form at the chamber at 101 E. Grand Ave. and online at clovis.nm.org/CARES. Details are also available by calling the chamber at 575-763-3435 or the SBDC at 575-769-4136.

An official application will be live as of Thursday, but a sample application is posted to the website.

City Manager Justin Howalt encouraged every small business possible to apply for the funding. He said the city believed numerous businesses saw COVID-19 impacts, and that's why city staff applied for and received so much funding from the $150 million statewide pool.

Howalt said a volunteer task force will start looking at applications once the initial submission deadline of Oct. 16 passes. The city will make the final decisions on awards as it's responsible to make sure all documentation is in place, but Howalt said staff will be inclined to trust task force recommendations.

Eligible businesses must be incorporated in the state and doing business inside the incorporated area of Clovis, have annual revenues of $2 million or less and an equivalent of 50 or fewer full time employees (32 or more hours weekly), have been in operation before 2020 and forced to close or severely curtail business operations as a result of closure orders from the state of New Mexico due to COVID-19.

A business registration, including the annual $35 fee, is required to be current with the city. Non-profits are also eligible and need a business registration, but the city does not charge the $35 fee to non-profits.

Grant dollars may be used for non-owner employee payroll, rent, scheduled mortgage payments, insurance, utilities, marketing and business redesigns - including plexiglass barriers, personal protective equipment for employees, reconfiguration of physical spaces, and remote work technology purchases.

Howalt said a task force will make recommendations from the applications it receives. Ultimately, the city is responsible from an auditing standpoint to make sure all documentation is in place, but it's largely going to trust the task force recommendations.

The application and award process will continue through Dec. 15 or when the funding is expended.

“The whole purpose of these grants is to help our small businesses,” said Sandra Taylor-Sawyer, executive director for the SBDC. “This is really an unprecedented time in my 30 plus years I've been working with small businesses. There is some money governments have provided to businesses, but not at this level and to businesses of this nature.”

Taylor-Sawyer noted that Curry County has a similar grant process, but it received about $350,000 and its grants will not cover payroll. Howalt said businesses could apply to both Clovis and Curry County, but separate grants must cover separate expenses. Also, any expenses that were covered through previous aid like the Paycheck Protection Program are ineligible for other aid.

Howalt said businesses that apply early in the process are welcome to apply additional times should more COVID-related expenses come up.

Chamber Executive Director Ernie Kos said the chamber is pleased to be involved, but stressed the process was open to all businesses regardless of chamber membership.

All awards are subject to IRS 1099 reporting, and Taylor-Sawyer said this is probably a good year for a business to use a professional tax service if it doesn't already.