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The Danville Town Council has approved plans for a local business assistance initiative, doing so in light of the economic downturn brought about by the surging coronavirus pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home order issued by the state of California.
Approved by the council during a special meeting held via Zoom on Friday, the town approved three actions geared toward supporting local businesses that include business grants, capping the commissions received by third-party delivery services and town-financed guidance on navigating federal COVID-19 relief programs.
“The Town Council has supported a number of programs developed to assist local businesses through this challenging year,” said economic development manager Jill Bergman. “Today’s approval of these initiatives underscores the Town’s commitment to our local businesses.”
“With these additional tools, we look forward to helping our business community take advantage of any and all resources available to help them get through this difficult time,” she added.
Not wanting to wait on any potential financial support from the federal government, the town appropriated $275,000 to fund Phase 2 of its Forward Focus COVID-19 Business Grant program, which was originally approved by the council in early November.
That program is specifically focused on helping businesses struggling to adapt their operations to continue in a socially distanced world more focused on delivery and takeout than dining-in.
During Friday’s meeting, the council also agreed to a partnership with the Oakland-based Townsend Public Affairs to establish a “Business Assistance Program” that will provide free guidance to local Danville businesses seeking to access COVID-19 federal stimulus relief.
In an effort to support businesses that have converted to offering take-out only, the council also adopted an urgency ordinance that establishes a temporary cap of 15% on commission, fees and costs charged by third-party food delivery services such as DoorDash, Grubhub and others. With the ordinance to remain in effect in Danville for the remainder of the pandemic.
“The council continues to encourage the community to do all they can to support local business during this crisis and take the Pledge to Support Local Businesses #pledgedanville. Ways to help include purchasing gift cards, ordering takeout, and shopping in person or online and using the established 10-minute curbside pickup zones,” town staff said in a statement.
Town staff added that they surveyed local restaurants on pandemic support services prior to the meeting and received 17 responses on potential solutions.
For more information on the new initiatives and to access funds and services provided by the town, residents are invited to visit the town’s coronavirus assistance webpage.
