The American Rescue Plan Act permits counties to provide relief to small businesses, many of which were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
To address those losses, Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes advanced a resolution to the Board of Commissioners that enables the county to hire a consultant to manage the county’s new ARPA-funded Small Business Investment Program. The resolution was approved by the board on Dec. 20.
The county has set aside up to a half-million dollars for the program, which is geared to provide direct aid to local small businesses that are likely to have experienced difficulties in obtaining capital through conventional methods, such as small business loans, revenue through creation of stock and traditional investors.