Roswell Mayor Seeks Coronavirus Grants For Businesses, Residents

ROSWELL, GA — City of Roswell Mayor Lori Henry is proposing $800,000 in COVID-19 relief grants for Roswell residents and brick-and-mortar businesses. The request will go before the city council for a vote during the Monday mayor and council meeting.

“I am committed to helping our residents and business owners during these unprecedented times,” Henry said. “This is something the city can do to help families in need pay their mortgage, rent, utilities or buy groceries. It also allows us to help those brick-and-mortar businesses struggling due to COVID-19 stay afloat until the vaccine is widely distributed, and we can get back to normal.”

Henry is proposing the $800,000 be divided with $400,000 in grants available to residents and $400,000 available to Roswell brick-and-mortar businesses that have lost revenues during the pandemic. These would be grants that would not need to be paid back to the city. If the grant money is approved at the meeting on Monday, qualifications for the grants and how they would be administered would need to be determined at a future mayor and council meeting.

Henry noted that the city has already awarded $600,000 in Community Development Block Grants for COVID-19 relief to local nonprofit organizations and has passed occupation tax relief for businesses that has already totaled $90,000 in credits to Roswell businesses just in the first few weeks.

“I want to do everything we possibly can to help our residents and business owners make it through this pandemic, and I am hopeful this $800,000 in grant dollars will help those struggling to make ends meet,” Henry said.

The mayor and city council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday. The agenda for this meeting will be posted online. The meeting will be livestreamed on the city's website, Facebook, and YouTube. To provide public comment for this meeting item or any other items on the agenda, follow the instructions online.