‘Take action now’: Charlotte leaders push for small business relief amid COVID-19

Some of Charlotte’s smallest businesses, particularly those deemed non-essential during the coronavirus pandemic, could be left out of current federal and state stimulus efforts, City Manager Marcus Jones said Monday.

Jones told City Council members — who gathered virtually for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak — that those funding gaps could be acute in various economic “opportunity corridors” and marginalized communities throughout Charlotte.

The areas include Beatties Ford Road, Rozzelles Ferry Road, North Tryon, Freedom Drive and Wilkinson Boulevard, and Eastland.

“I’m not recommending an amount or anything, but that’s the gap we identified when we started to look at various programs,” Jones said. “That’s just a place to start.”

Mecklenburg County commissioners are poised to vote Tuesday on launching a different relief package for micro-businesses, defined as those with five or fewer employees.

About $350,000 in federal money would be dispersed in loans of up to $10,000. But businesses in Charlotte and Mint Hill are not eligible due to grant restrictions, according to the commissioners’ agenda.

‘Take action now’

Jones stopped short of describing how Charlotte could structure its own micro-business program — and meet the needs of minority-owned business. He said more details would be available by next Monday’s business meeting.

Many City Council members implored Jones to take swift action as businesses struggle to stay afloat.

“I was hoping to see a proposal tonight,” City Council member Victoria Watlington said. “We don’t want this to be super bureaucratic — consider who’s being left out.”

Throughout a heated 4 and 1/2 hour meeting, Charlotte leaders repeatedly decried a “business-as-usual” philosophy, saying city staff needed to act with heightened urgency and creativity.

City Council member James Mitchell emphasized that waiting on the North Carolina General Assembly to unveil its slate of economic packages later this month is not a viable option.

“I don’t want to worry about what the state is doing,” Mitchell said. “I want us to be direct in helping small businesses. Let us take action now.”

Still, City Council member Ed Driggs cautioned against hastily voting on measures without adequate information and vetting.

“We can’t just sit down and start writing checks,” Driggs said. “It has to be done in a way that is accountable and that is fair to beneficiaries.”

Business collaboration

In a separate presentation, Assistant City Manager Tracy Dodson said Charlotte and community partners are trying to maintain an “ongoing forum” for businesses struggling to collaborate and share information.

Beyond accessing financial support, Dodson said, local businesses are struggling to connect within their industries, too.

“They want to say they are open for business — in a different way, but they are still open for business,” said Dodson, who’s also the city economic development director.

In a Twitter town hall Friday, Mayor Vi Lyles had urged small business owners to contact Charlotte officials to discuss their unique needs.

“We know that you’re hurting right now,” Lyles said in a video posted on Twitter. “We know that you need money to pay your leases and retain whatever staff you had.”

Virtual meeting

Monday’s strategy session marked a critical milestone as City Council members experimented with technology that allows them to gather, albeit virtually, while following social-distancing guidelines.

In an advisory letter last month, the state Department of Justice said local government bodies could hold electronic meetings “due to the unprecedented circumstances we are all faced with.” State Attorney General Josh Stein repeated that position Monday in a letter to the governor’s office.

“Electronic meetings are permissible so long as the statutory requirements of notice, access and minutes are met and that reasonable measures geared toward transparency are key,” Lyles also told the City Council in an email obtained by The Charlotte Observer.

Upcoming Charlotte City Council meetings this month, including a zoning meeting on April 20, will also be virtual, according to city spokesperson Cory Burkarth. An April 13 public forum is canceled ahead of the City Council’s business meeting, though residents can email comments to cityclerk@charlottenc.gov.

The City Council last met March 16, when it unanimously voted to establish an emergency leave program for city employees and donated $1 million to the COVID-19 Response Fund, a community-wide effort overseen by the Foundation for the Carolinas and United Way of Central Carolinas.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 11:02 PM with the headline "‘Take action now’: Charlotte leaders push for small business relief amid COVID-19."