North Judson is applying for another round of COVID-19 relief for local businesses, but it will be up against some stiff competition. The town council voted Monday to let officials apply for another $200,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ COVID-19 Response Program.
During the required public hearing, Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Edwin Buswell noted that many communities had the same idea. “I believe they got 118 proposals asking for $26 million. That’s a lot more than they had the last two rounds,” he said. “They had requests for $26 million. I think [OCRA Northwest Community Liaison] Gerry White told me they had $20 million to give out, but they may find a little extra money.”
While the state expanded the list of eligible uses this round, Buswell said about 75 percent of the requests are for business support.
North Judson was able to give $220,000 to 30 businesses last fall, with help from the second phase of the COVID-19 Response Program. If the town is able to get more money, it may adjust the distribution formula, according to Town Council President John Rowe.
“We want to just be able to give more of a point system for businesses that have more than three employees or four employees or something along those lines,” Rowe explained. “I don’t think we’ve actually concreted it out, but we’re just wanting to change a few things to make it so that people that need the money more, make sure they’re getting the money.”
Buswell said it would also help the town’s application if three to five businesses that got money the last time would submit letters saying that the funding was useful and explaining why they need more. North Judson would also chip in $10,000 from its Revolving Loan Fund.
COVID-19 Response grant recipients are expected to be announced in mid-April.
