Erie County Legislator John Mills has passed a resolution directing $10 million in remaining 2020 CARES Act funding to reimburse small businesses and non-profits who spent money to combat the spread of COVID-19, including the purchase of sanitizer products, HVAC upgrades, PPE, and additional safety measures.

The resolution requires Erie County to accept applications from businesses and non-profits and award funding on a first-come, first-served basis through December 31, 2021 or until the funding runs out.  The resolution received the unanimous support of the Legislature Thursday afternoon.

Legislator Mills said, “As a business owner, I’ve seen how costly the COVID-19 pandemic has been and everything that goes into implementing safety measures. This program I’ve established will help offset some of the money businesses and non-profits have spent to purchase PPE and other supplies to keep employees and customers safe from COVID-19. I look forward to getting the program up-and-running and encourage small businesses in my legislative district to apply.”

Under the program, the following restrictions should apply:

1. The business or entity was in operation for a minimum of 12 months prior to March 15, 2020 and the applicant submits an itemized list detailing their costs requested for reimbursement from March 15, 2020 through to present; 

2. The business or entity has not already received reimbursement for the same COVID-19 expenses from Erie County, New York State, or the Federal Government; 

3. All applicants shall be based in Erie County; 

4. Government entities shall not be eligible for reimbursement under this program.

Eligible expenses will include:

1. Purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for provision to employees or patrons; 

2. Purchase of personal sanitizing materials for use by employees or patrons, whether it be hand sanitizer or cleaning products; 

3. Purchase of glass or acrylic materials used to set up sneeze and cough guards; 

4. Purchase of physical barriers and signage related to social distancing requirements; and 

5. Upgrade of HVAC or other air handling system to include additional air filtering capabilities (i.e. UV or HEPA filtration).