The Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to move Kings County’s American Rescue Plan small business assistance program to an official end date of Feb. 1, 2023, instead of ending it early on Dec. 31 this year.
The decision came after District 2 Supervisor Richard Valle expressed displeasure with the program after Assistant County Administrative Officer Kiria Martinez broke down the funds allocated to each town under the grant program.
Out of $6 million in state funding for small businesses up to $25,000 in Covid relief funds, Hanford received $2.2 million, Lemore received $1,020,000, Corcoran received $840,000, Avenal $540,000 and incorporated areas $1,320,000. .
So far, the district has received 398 applications but approved only 118 of them. The county awarded small businesses in Avenal $9,674 and Corcoran businesses received $210,000. Lemoore businesses were awarded $281,000 and the county’s unincorporated communities received $123,000. Businesses in Hanford have been greatly helped with more than $1.4 million awarded.
Martinez, who said staff is happy with the progress the program has made, asked the board to extend the program’s end date to Dec. 31 instead of ending the program on Feb. 1.
“We are happy with the process we have gone through and we have reached the stage where all the applications have been evaluated and we believe that the purpose of the program is being met,” said Martinez.
Supervisor Vale, however, was confused by the idea of pulling the money early, citing interest in the district.
“The program wasn’t done right, so Lemur didn’t even get there,” Vale said. “Now go out and start looking at the numbers in Avenall and Corcoran, it’s disgusting. Nobody in my district has gotten any money…I’m angry at where we are now. There’s a need in Avenall, there’s a need in Corcoran. There’s a need in Kettleman. I’m sure there’s a need in Stratford and Armona. He said, “They don’t know, or the efforts to find out haven’t been there.”
Vale said he couldn’t vote to take the money off the table and suggested the program run its planned course until Feb. 1. He also stated that the time limit will allow each supervisor to meet. Their local representatives and Chamber of Commerce to spread the word about the remaining funds to local businesses and help more businesses apply.
Dice agreed to keep the program open until February 1st.
In other business, for the first time in more than a decade, Kings County High School will have a live club Friday night. Supervisors voted to approve a $19,000 budget change to accommodate the club at Corcoran High School. Once established, the club aims to reduce access to cannabis among young people in the community.
“It’s all youth driven and driven by how youth want to address substance use disorders and how they want to prevent those in the community,” said Katie Earnest, Kings County Deputy Director of Behavioral Health.
The board is looking to extend the county’s contract with Paragon, a firm that helps the county make federal connections.
“The firm provides professional and federal advocacy on behalf of Kings County, which includes representation of the county’s interests before Congress and federal agencies,” Martinez said. “Paragon has worked effectively with Kings County over the years to establish legislative and regulatory priorities to assist with strategic planning and support to advance and protect the county’s interests at the federal level.”
The company, which has worked with the county for more than a decade, convinced the board to ask if they could extend their contract with Paragon from one to four years. Joe Crane, a representative of Paragon, enthusiastically agreed that the partnership between the company and the county is very strong and that Paragon is happy to extend their contract.
The board tabled the contract for the next meeting, allowing county staff to draft a four-year contract and amendments.
The board approved a $1.2 million, 18-month contract from the California Health Collaborative (CHC) in efforts to prevent Covid and other infectious diseases. CHC provides prevention services to the county, such as self-exams and vaccinations, as well as community outreach.
“We’ve been at the forefront in terms of trying to provide more accessible testing, vaccinations and also information. It’s something we’re ready to continue and strengthen in Kings County,” CHC representative Jennifer Asidera said.
The next Kings County Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for December 20 at 9:00 a.m. The swearing-in ceremony is set for 12:00 p.m.
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