PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — The Pierce County Council pushed through an emergency resolution this week to distribute $158 million in coronavirus relief funds from the Federal CARES Act.
The largest chunk of money will go to public health efforts, including COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. The remainder of the funds will be spread out among three other areas: economic stabilization, community response and government funding. In addition, $23 million will remain in a reserve fund with the flexibility to be distributed to areas that need it.
“We need to get money out quickly,” said Pierce County Council Chair Doug Richardson. “We’re doing it in a responsible way so we distribute it to the places they’re really and truly needed.”
Richardson said the county had already released roughly $4 million in funding to food banks, rental assistance programs, and some small businesses before the vote.
Amanda Dominguez, who owns Howllywood Pet Grooming and Boarding in Gig Harbor was one of the lucky ones. After closing her small business in March and being forced to lay off all 15 employees, her small business received a $10,000 one year no-interest loan from the county to stay afloat during the pandemic.
Dominguez said she was also the recipient of a Small Business Administration PPP loan. Dominguez said when she heard she would get the funds, she wept.
“I just felt like heaven had opened. I couldn’t stop crying,” she said. “It was just such a relief to just know that we were going to be ok.”
Richardson encouraged small business owners who have not received financial aid to go to the county’s website to apply for the Small Business Relief Loan Program.
The program is expected to aid small businesses countywide with $3 million in funding.
Dominguez said she knows some small business owners simply will not get a slice of that funding.
“I personally know other shops in town that didn’t receive it and it’s heartbreaking for them,” she said. “Honestly, help won’t come for some people, and that’s a harsh reality of it.”
Richardson said the effect the federal funds would have on the county’s ability to recover was not yet clear.
“I think that needs to be evaluated and we’re going to track it every week,” he said. “Within 60 days we’re going to have a major revisit [and ask] ‘Are we spending it in the right places? Are we having an impact?’”