A decision has been made regarding Wellington City and the ways in which the CARES Act funding the city received will be distributed.
Mayor Paula Noyes, Wellington Police Chief Rory Bradley, City Recorder Glenna Nelson, former Mayor Joan Powell and Administrative Assistant Jamie Stofko met as a committee twice to review the applications received and to make suggested distribution amounts to the Wellington City Council.
Brandon McCandless attended both of the review sessions and was able to provide recommendations to the committee, with further involvement by Jade Powell, both of the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments. They worked to guide the city on how to handle and distribute the rare community funding.
It was stated that many factors were taken into consideration during the evaluation and businesses were asked to provide documentation of profit loss between the months of March and June of this year, comparing it to the same months in 2019.
Backup was also provided by each business to inform the council how they would spend the money if awarded. The businesses that applied were the Cowboy Club, Outlaw Cafe, B Hansen Construction, R&K Muffler, Miller’s Subway, Miller’s Fuel Center and Noyes Leather & Wood.
The Cowboy Club and Outlaw Cafe were each awarded $21,582. B Hansen Construction received $16,582 and R&K Muffler was awarded an amount of $13,582. Miller’s Subway was awarded $10,000 and the fuel center received $5,000. Noyes Leather & Wood was also awarded with the amount being $3,000.
“The main objective for Wellington City Council, the review committee and staff was for local businesses to receive the extra support they needed as a response to a difficult year,” stated Nelson.
The city itself is utilizing the funds set aside to purchase PPE and add technology updates to Wellington City Hall that will allow for virtual meetings as needed as well as improved phone systems in the event that an employee may need to quarantine or work from home.