The City of Shelbyville was not awarded a Phase 3 grant to help local businesses financially stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, local businesses must now go through Shelby County officials for assistance. Shelby County was awarded a Phase 3 grant in the amount of $250,000.
Shelbyville mayor Tom DeBaun mentioned the Phase 3 denial at Tuesday’s Board of Works meeting. After the meeting, he spoke with the Shelby County Post and was not concerned for local businesses.
“I went through the list of all three rounds (of grants) and I don’t know if I found an instance where a city and a county were awarded in the same area,” he said. “My guess is since we were awarded in the second round, the county was awarded this time. I think they were trying to spread it out.”
Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) announced Monday that 80 Hoosier communities would receive more than $18.8 million in federal grant funding through OCRA’s COVID-19 Response Grant Program.
“I looked at the description because there are multiple categories (that can apply). Some are food challenged, some are housing challenged, some are job retention and so when I look at the applicants awarded, we fall squarely within those parameters each time,” said DeBaun. “I think it’s just a matter of giving it to the county this time.”
DeBaun was unsure who or what branch of county government would disperse the funds. He tasked city plan director Adam Rude to find out so a contact name could be dispersed to local businesses.
“I think it’s a different person with a different checkbook,” said DeBaun. “I think it’s likely that a lot of the people that were awarded in the second round will be awarded in the third round.”
A day after the news broke that the city would not receive federal funding, Phase 2 of the grant process was closed out.
Rude addressed the Board of Works Tuesday morning to make it official.
The Shelbyville COVID-19 Economic Recovery Committee reviewed 36 applications and awarded grants of various amounts to all 36.
“Everyone eligible was funded in some capacity,” said Rude.
