AGENDA DATE: 9/2/2015
TITLE:
Title
Route 29 Solutions Business Assistance Program
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Review of preliminary criteria for the Route 29 Solutions Business Assistance Program’s matching grant program
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Foley, Catlin, Davis, Kamptner, McClintic, Stimart
PRESENTER (S): Lee Catlin
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Thomas C. Foley
BACKGROUND: On June 3, 2015, the Board approved the final three elements of the County’s Route 29 Solutions Business Assistance Program, which included a matching grant program. The matching grant program is intended to support business-specific construction-based advertising for Tier 2 businesses (those located in the construction zone of the Route 29/Rio Road intersection project) by providing funding to match funds committed by businesses for qualifying advertising/marketing efforts. Board members requested the opportunity to review the criteria for the matching grant program prior to the program’s implementation to ensure that the grants program meets the Board’s intentions and goals.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Goal 4 - Economic Prosperity. Foster an environment that stimulates diversified job creation, capital investments, and tax revenues that support community goals.
DISCUSSION: In developing draft criteria for the matching grant program, staff consulted with members of the Route 29 Solutions Business Assistance subcommittee, as well as individual business owners and other jurisdictions who have used a similar program. Staff also reviewed matching grant programs of a variety of entities, including the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau, to get a sense of what criteria have been used by others who implemented regional marketing matching grant programs. The following priorities were identified by staff based on feed-back from the Board as fundamental to the development of draft criteria for the County’s grant program:
• Focus on small businesses that do not have access to significant marketing/advertising resources
• Provide small grant awards that will provide meaningful support but will make funds available to as many businesses as possible
• Maintain consistency with reinforcing the overarching messages of the County’s collective marketing campaign
• Provide support to businesses that demonstrate a willingness to engage proactively
• Require that performance measures in the form of visibility data be provided
The draft criteria are outlined in Attachment A for the Board’s review and comment. While staff recognizes that there may need to be some slight adjustments to the criteria as the program is implemented based on changing conditions, no substantive changes will be made to the criteria without prior consultation with the Board.
BUDGET IMPACT: There is no budget impact associated with endorsing the grant criteria. The Board approved the use of $50,000 for the matching grant program at its July 1, 2015 meeting. This funding would be provided to the EDA, which would fund the program.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board endorse the draft criteria for the County’s matching grant program.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - Draft Matching Grant Program Criteria