The Cass County Board met in emergency session Monday night. The Board met to adopt action for the state’s Small Business Stabilization Program for the county’s small business to have relief. Prior to taking action on the program, Cass County ESDA Director Roger Lauder updated the county on COVID-19 relief efforts. “We have 29 individuals who have been tested with 27 negative results and 2 pending and 0 positive cases. As far as what we have been doing, we have conference calls with the players in the emergency arena on at least a weekly basis. We received word Monday from the state that we will be getting PPE on Tuesday at some point with out a definite amount of what we will get. We will get masks, gloves, and gowns which is what we have requested. It will be delivered by IDOT to the Station 2 Ambulance facility in Virginia.”
Board Chairman Michael Barnett detailed some of the requirements for the application process to the Small Business Stabilization Program. “It will encompass any eligible business at any of the 5 cities and villages and those in rural Cass County. What this will entail is what small businesses must provide to be eligible for this grant. The first thing that they have to submit is the Business FEIN or the Federal Employer Identification Number, their business number, and their SIC number. If they are a corporation or registered partnership, they also have to send a verification of good standing from the Secretary of State. They have to submit a net income from the last 3 fiscal years beginning January 1st, 2017 ending December 31st, 2019, two years of ending cash balances, as well as current cash balance and the most current bank statements of the business.”
Barnett says the businesses must also submit any other paperwork that demonstrate a hardship as well as a list of all current employees. Barnett says that there is a 26-item checklist with the application to the program. 11 items comes from the businesses. The remainder comes from the county to be submitted to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Barnett says that any interested business in Cass County with at least 2 employees should contact their local board member or the Courthouse to get a copy of the application.
Barnett says once all the paperwork has been filed, a public notice for a special board meeting will be published to let county residents know about the application to DCEO. He says that a public comment period will be open for the special meeting for the businesses and residents to discuss the application.
For more information about the grant, you can contact County Clerk Shelley Wessel for an application at 452-2277 extension 4 or you can call chairman Michael Barnett at 217-909-4867.