WHEREAS, Small businesses in Pittsfield Township, our region, state, and country are being significantly impacted by the aggressive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, The State of Michigan, Michigan Department of Economic Development, Michigan Department of Treasury, U.S. Small Business Administration, along with other agencies/organizations have established loans and other relief measures to provide financial support to small businesses, most of whom have experienced historically unprecedented declines in revenues due to the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, The Supervisor’s Office has established personal contact with Pittsfield Township’s small businesses to make them aware of the resources available to them while also establishing a distribution list targeted to them in addition to the Township’s website clearinghouse (Pittsfield-mi.gov/covid19); and
WHEREAS, Ann Arbor SPARK, Washtenaw County, and private donors have contributed to the establishment of the Washtenaw Small Business Emergency Relief Fund (‘The Fund’) aimed at addressing the financial hardship being faced by many small businesses in Washtenaw County due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, The Fund provides financial assistance to businesses with up to fifty employees or less; that have a physical establishment; that have experienced a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic; with funding available for business owners with a low-to-moderate income; and
WHEREAS, Grants from The Fund may be used to cover the day-to-day operating expenses of the business such as payroll or financial losses; and
WHEREAS, We, the Pittsfield Township Board of Trustees, find it incumbent upon ourselves to support the small businesses in Pittsfield Township and would like to, rather than create redundancies, do so by making a one-time $50,000 contribution to the Washtenaw Small Business Emergency Relief Fund with the understanding that these monies will only be earmarked for use by Pittsfield Township businesses that meet the criterion outlined by The Fund;