Written by Julianne Foster
Santee Mayor John Minto and the Santee City Council have been active in supporting local businesses and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, they have provided a temporary moratorium for struggling tenants and set up supportive community events.
The most recent outreach was the establishment of the Reopen Santee Rebate Program, an opportunity for residents and business owners who are facing financial difficulties due to loss of business, income, and additional expenses related to new restrictive safety protocols in place.
The program is strictly for small business owners with physical storefronts that have invested in the set safety measures. Such measures must be in accordance with the County of San Diego and the State of California. Applications must be submitted online through the application portal on their website. The maximum rebate totals to $10,000 per business and applications will be accepted until December 31 of this year.
The Reopen Santee Rebate Program for small businesses is now open! Applicants may qualify to receive a one-time rebate of 80% of qualified expenses incurred in implementing COVID-19 safety measures, up to a max $10,000. To fill out the app. click here: https://t.co/bQc50ydVI2 pic.twitter.com/xZmZyCzL2p
— City of Santee (@CityofSantee) July 21, 2020
To qualify for the rebate, businesses must be for-profit, independently-owned, and have a physical storefront within the City of Santee. The owner must have a current City of Santee Business License and they must have been in business and held 25 or fewer full-time employees as of March 1, 2020 with no legal issues with the City of Santee. Finally, the owner must provide a written statement demonstrating how the business’ extra costs are due to changes to conform with COVID-19 safety guidelines. Applicants must provide IRS Form W-9 for the business and those found eligible may receive a one-time rebate of 80 percent of approved expenses due to imposing safety measures for reopening.
Santee leaders have worked faithfully to relieve struggling business owners from their financial burdens due to the pandemic. They are looking to support them financially to reopen safely in hopes that they may return to individual financial stability. Business owners are in desperate need for help and it’s reassuring to see local politicians step up and help the community during these difficult times.
