Dublin Council Puts Another $200K Toward Small Biz Grant Problem

DUBLIN, CA — The Dublin City Council decided this week to put $200,000 toward Alameda County's new matching grant program for small businesses.

That means Dublin's small businesses could receive up to $400,000 to help them address impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The vote came during the council's special meeting Monday.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors used $5 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to create a small business grant program, and another $3 million in CARES Act funding was put toward a matching grant program to serve incorporated cities, according to a report from City Manager Linda Smith.

The council has already appropriated some $987,000 toward the Dublin Small Business Emergency Microloan Program, including $467,000 in funding from the CARES Act. About $76,000 of the allocated funds were not used and will be reallocated toward the county's matching grant program.

The council is slated to discuss the possibility of creating a $1 million small business recovery grant program at its Dec. 1 meeting. The program could reimburse small businesses for the cost of improvements related to the COVID-19 pandemic.