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City Council Meeting Minutes April 7, 2020 Page 3 of 12 does not. She stated staff suggests a grant program as we do not have the administrative capacity to oversee a loan program or something more complicated. For program eligibility staff is suggesting including only Louisville businesses that are current on City accounts. She added staff is thinking the criteria needs to be mostly not technical. Staff will need to be able to review applications fairly and equitably with clear criteria; without clear criteria it will be very hard for staff to administer. Staff is looking for direction from Council on the criteria. Some suggested considerations include brick and mortar locations (not home based), number of employees, and tied to sales or other taxes. Director Pierce reviewed a number of other criteria that could be considered. Public Comments Mark Oberholzer, Chair of Business Retention & Development Committee and owner of TILT Pinball and the Corner, stated it is important for the Louisville program to be different from the Federal programs. He suggested programs that help businesses adapt quickly to the changing conditions. He encouraged the Council to hurry to get these funds out to businesses. Shelly Angell, Chamber of Commerce Director, noted things are changing rapidly and the need for this program is large. The businesses need help as fast the City can get it out. Rick Kron, Downtown Business Association President, agreed with the other speakers that the need is great. He suggested streamlining the application process and allowing grantees to use the money at their discretion. He asked the public to continue to support local businesses. Sherry Sommer, 910 South Palisade Court, asked if the Council would determine how much it will dedicate to the program and the timing of the program tonight. She also asked if employees of local businesses could be used in a way to contribute back to the City. David Sinkey, Boulder Creek Homes, stated he agreed with the earlier speakers that the program is needed and speed is of the utmost importance. Mayor Stolzmann stated this discussion is meant to give staff direction and she suggested once that is done letting staff run with the program to get it started quickly. Councilmember Dickinson stated the overall goals of the new Economic Vitality Committee are to help businesses create revenue so it can fund the quality of life in town. The Committee wants to make sure the City has the tools it needs to do this and the ability to help with business retention and development. In the current situation these are all still important goals as we adapt to meet the crisis.