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A letter from St. Mary's
County
Department of Economic
Development Director
March
31, 2020
St. Mary’s County Business Community,
Yesterday, Governor Hogan enacted a “Stay at Home”
order, meaning an even tighter restriction on people leaving their
homes. Residents may leave home to work at essential businesses
and to obtain items from essential businesses like grocery stores and
restaurants (for take-out). These additional
measures are important to reduce human interaction and slow the
spread of the Coronavirus. However, a more restricted community
will put additional pressure on small businesses to maintain a
revenue stream, keep employees, and stay in business. Following
is the latest information for business assistance during this period.
The Federal government
passed a $2 trillion stimulus package last week
(CARES - Coronavirus, Aid,
Relief and Economic
Security Act) that includes some valuable
benefits for businesses and employees.
The Paycheck Protection Program
is designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses
to keep their workers on payroll by providing each small business a
loan up to $10 million for payroll and certain other expenses.
If all employees are kept on payroll for eight weeks, SBA will
forgive the portion of the loans used for payroll, rent, mortgage
interest, or utilities. Up to 100% of the loan is forgivable.
Eligibility: Businesses – including eligible non-profits,
veterans organizations, tribal concerns, sole proprietorships, self-employed
individuals, and independent contractors described in the Small
Business Act – with 500 or fewer employees may apply.
Under this program:
- Eligible recipients may qualify for a loan up
to $10 million determined by 8 weeks of prior average payroll
plus an additional 25% of that amount.
- Loan payments will be deferred for six
months.
- If you maintain your workforce, SBA will
forgive the portion of the loan proceeds that are used to cover
the first 8 weeks of payroll and certain other expenses following
loan origination.
Other CARES Act benefits:
The CARES Act establishes a refundable, 50%
payroll tax credit covering up to $10,000 paid per
employee, including benefits from the period of March 13, 2020 to
December 31, 2020. Read more.
An additional $10 billion has been added to the U.S.
Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Emergency Injury Disaster Loan
(EIDL) program, which provides low-interest loans
to companies affected by the outbreak. This is also a newly
available $10,000 emergency grant through SBA.
- The expansion of the EIDL program now
includes tribal businesses, cooperatives, ESOP’s, individual
contractors, sole proprietors, and private non-profits with less
than 500 employees.
- When you apply, you can also request an
emergency grant of $10,000. SBA will provide the grant within
three days of receiving your application. You will not have to
repay the grant, even if your application for a loan is denied.
- Due to high volume on their website, SBA is
also accepting applications through email and fax. Download the applications online.
You can email them to Ela.doc@sba.gov or fax to
202-481-1505. New, simplified application form https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/
- General SBA guidance for businesses can be
found here. If you need additional help navigating
the SBA process, Maryland SBDC can help.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act –
The FFCRA poster must
be posted by Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
All employers covered by the paid sick leave and expanded
family and medical leave provisions of the FFCRA (i.e., certain public
sector employers and private sector employers with fewer than 500
employees) are required to post this notice. Link to poster:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf
FAQs regarding the poster: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-poster-questions
The Maryland Department of Commerce is
offering three business assistance programs in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic:
- [THIS PROGRAM IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS] - The Maryland
Department of Labor is now accepting grant applications for the COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund, which
can provide funds to help businesses with 500 or fewer employees
purchasing remote access equipment and software to allow
employees to work from home, provide on-site cleaning and
sanitation services or other creative strategies to mitigate
potential layoffs or closures. The award (up to $50,000 per
applicant), will be a quick deployable benefit and customizable
to the specific needs of your business to minimize the need for
layoffs.
Laid Off Employees: Laid off employees
will qualify for unemployment benefits (enhanced
by the CARES Act) if the coronavirus (COVID-19)
causes an employer to shut down operations or cut back on
operations. Maryland unemployment benefits are available to
individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own if they
meet the monetary criteria and the weekly eligibility criteria.
Maryland Department of Labor Unemployment information:
http://labor.maryland.gov/employment/unemployment.shtml
Maryland Tax Deferment - Maryland business
and individual income taxpayers will be given a 90-day
extension for tax payments. No interest or penalty
for late payments will be imposed if 2019 tax payments are made by
July 15, 2020. See 90-day extension for tax payments for
more information, or reach out to taxpayerrelief@marylandtaxes.gov with
questions.
Other Useful Information
The National Restaurant Association Has Launched Relief Fund
to Give $500 Checks to Restaurant Workers Affected by
Coronavirus. Restaurant workers can apply for a
grant paid for by the NRAEF fund starting Thursday, April 2, and will
receive a one-time $500 check within three weeks to use
toward housing, medical bills, student loans, groceries, and other
expenses. The NRAEF stipulated that these grants would be
administered on a “first-come, first-serve basis.”
Information at Restaurant
Employee Relief Fund
Restaurant Curbside Service – Two Interpretive
Guidance documents came out yesterday from the State.
Restaurants can still do curbside service with an emphasis on social
distancing (runner wearing gloves, payments on-line or via phone, no
hanging out in the parking area, etc.)
Due to the “Stay at Home” order, employees
of essential businesses are encouraged to carry a letter to and from
work. It is recommended that employers draft and print a letter
containing:
- The name and address of the employee
- The name and address of the business
- The nature of the employee’s work
- Reasons why the employee’s work fits the
definition of essential
- The signature and contact info of the
employer
Local law enforcement have indicated that they will not stop
drivers simply to check this, but employees are still encouraged
to carry a letter to and from work.
Local Farmers Markets – The three County
Farmers Markets will soon be open. To minimize human contact,
the markets will be run as drive-through markets with customers
staying in their vehicles and driving past vendors to make their
selections. The North County Farmers Market (in the Charlotte
Hall Library parking lot) will open on Saturday April 4th
(8 am to 5 pm) as will the Home Grown Farm Market (9 am to 1
pm). The California Farmers Market will open on Saturday April
25th (9 am to 1 pm).
Also remember that the County has set
up a hotline for citizen information:
COVID-19 Community Hotline call 301-475-4911
Monday-Saturday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. for information relating to
COVID-19 or visit the following websites for more information and
updates:
St. Mary’s County Government www.stmarysmd.com
St. Mary’s County Health Department www.smchd.org/coronvirus
SMC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM
The Department of Economic Development staff will continue to gather
the latest information for businesses through webinars and conference
calls with local, state and federal agencies, and our partners in
regional and State-wide economic development. Our
goal is to do as much as we can to help St. Mary’s County businesses
through this difficult time.
Here’s how to contact us:
Our Agriculture and Seafood Division is also operational. To connect
to Donna Sasscer, Manager call (301) 997-5556 or email donna.sasscer@stmarysmd.com
The Department of Economic Development will regularly post
updates, information, and resources for the business community.
Updates will occur through our various social media channels,
newsletter, and website https://www.yesstmarysmd.com/news/covid-19/
Sincerely,
Chris Kaselemis
Director
St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development
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