The Brownwood Municipal Development District Board of Directors approved a grant program for sales tax producing businesses that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus-related expenses that qualify include new equipment, extra phone lines, new software, safety equipment, hand sanitizer and supplies. Each business is eligible for up to $2,500 in grant funding with proof of expenditure. The total allocated for the program is $50,000.
Before it can be implemented, the Brownwood City Council has to ratify the grant program.
Ray Tipton, Brownwood Municipal Development District executive director, told BrownwoodNews.com that the city's sales tax collections were up more than 8% in April, an unexpected surprise as that was the month with the state's most restrictive COVID-19 policies. Many other Texas cities experienced a decrease in sales tax revenue, some as deep as 33%.
The unemployment rate for Brown County was 10.1%, which includes those on temporary furlough, self-employed and contract workers. Tipton expects unemployment numbers to return to normal in the coming months.
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