On the message and order, referred on January 26, 2022, Docket #0160, authorizing the City of Boston (the “City”) to accept and expend the amount of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) in the form of a grant ( the “Grant Payment”), awarded by the United States Department of the Treasury, to be administered by the City’s Chief Financial Officer/Collector-Treasurer. The Grant Payment is made from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund in the Treasury of the United States established by Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass.
. Thank you, Mr. Clarke. Talking 0 to 2 530 to create will be placed on file. Matters recently heard for possible action. Mr. Clarke, please read docket 0160. Number 0160. Message In order authorizing the city of Boston to accept and expand the amount of $5 million in the form of a grant. The grant payment awarded by the United States Department of the Treasury to be administered by the city's chief financial officer. Collect the Treasurer. The grant payment is made from the coronavirus, state and local fiscal recovery from fund in the Treasury of the United States, established by Section 90 901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The chair recognizes council block chair of Boston's COVID 19 Recovery Council. Thank you so much, Mr. President. And thank you to all the councilors who came to our hearing yesterday. We had nearly the whole council at our consideration of this docket. I do just want to draw the council's attention to the fact that there's a committee report that's in your inbox and that's been filed on this. So folks will take a look at that, just to say that this is a $5 Million appropriation out of city ARCA funds by the administration to replenish the Small Business Relief Fund 2.0. And as we heard yesterday at the hearing from Chief Segundo and from Deputy Chief Lori Mercola and director of Small Business Natalia, or through which we have had a lot of success in distributing funds through a number of different small business funds since spring 2020. At the start of the pandemic, the department's distributed almost $30 million in funds, and this SBIR 2.0 has so far given out $8 million in grants to 628 businesses. But since September 2021, as funds have been depleted. And so this $5 million would replenish the funds just to start allocating money to further businesses, many of whom have, like I said, already applied and have their applications waiting. And so we heard from the administration both about the breakdown of the grants they've given so far, the fact that these funds would be prioritizing the three areas that have come under the city's vaccine mandate. So restaurants, arts and entertainment and gyms and sports facilities. And and it was good to hear from them about sort of all the different outreach aspects that the department done. The applications being available, 11 languages, the kind of various ways in which we tried to lower the threshold for relief. And also the department's work to try to make sure that the folks applying for these funds also know about their eligibility for and are pointing towards the state grants being funded through the American Rescue Plan because the state's amount of funding is greater than ours. And so we want to make sure that our Boston based businesses are getting as much support as possible. There were great questions from councilors focused on eligibility, accountability, making sure that this these funds are being equitably distributed, making sure that we're sort of checking our own data, figuring out when we see discrepancies, what the source of that is. The department did report that they intend to have a public facing dashboard shortly. And then there are a number of questions that council has asked on that accountability front that I think we'll get to expect more data back from the department soon. One of the things that we also flagged in the conversation was that. This this committee is planning on having substantial further conversations about the bigger picture of Africa and that we're not intending to sort of grants it all out in small chunks like this. However, the administration's made a case for this 5 million, and I think we all, as councilors are hearing from small businesses every day who just need help and support and relief right now yesterday. And so with that in mind, Mr. President, I am recommending today that this docket 0160 pass. Thank you. Thank you, Counselor Bach. Does anyone else would anyone else like to speak on this matter? Please. Please raise your hand. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Bach, the chair. The chair of the Committee on Boston's COVID 19 Recovery seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of Docket 0160. Mr. Clerk, can you please do a roll call vote? Lucky number 0160. Consular Royal yes. Consular oh yes. Council a baker. Yes. Not so Baker yes. Consular bar. Yes. Consular but yes. Consular Braden. Yes. Not celebrating. Yes. Consular Edwards. Yes. Nuncio Edwards yes. Consular Fernandez Anderson. Yes. Consular Fernandez Anderson yes. Council clarity. Yes. Not so clarity as consular Flynn yes. Consulate Flynn. Yes. Council Area. Yes. Council Area. Yes. Consular legitimate. Yes. Until the region. Yes. Councilor. Me here? Yes. Councilor. Me here? Yes. Councilor Murphy. Yes. That's a murphy. Yes. In Council world. Yes. So? Well, yes. Talking numbers 0160 received unanimous approval. Thank you, Mr. Carter. Moving on to motions, orders, resolutions. Mr. Clerk, please read docket 0239, please.