Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced Monday that the city will establish a financial relief program for businesses that faced losses due to the ongoing water crisis.
The mayor made a surprise appearance to the council chambers at the end of the body’s regular meeting to announce his intent to set up a fund through Invest Atlanta, and help small businesses recoup lost revenue after days of water service disruption.
“We know the crucial part that our small businesses play in our lives and our economy and making sure that we have thriving neighborhoods,” he said. “And we want to help them regain their footing if they were effected by the events from this weekend.”
Thousands of Atlanta residents have been without clean drinking water since Friday as numerous water main breaks disrupted the city’s system. Restaurants, office buildings and venues across Atlanta shuttered due to the extensive water outages.
Dickens called recent days “a weekend like none other” in the city that is already plagued by a decades-old water system that has caused headaches long before the recent pipe ruptures.
“People came into the city and people who already were in the city had plans for the weekend,” he said. “And that was all disrupted because of a couple large water main breaks across the city.”
The legislation — backed by all members of council — allocates an initial $5 million to be doled out to small businesses. The process will be similar to emergency funds provided by the city to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Council member Matt Westmoreland, who introduced the paper, said that he’s heard from businesses that lost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 over the weekend.
“All of us have seen the impact that the last 72 hours have had on our residents and our small businesses,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’ve heard directly from many, many businesses worried about money lost during what is usually the busiest time of the week.”
The proposed legislation will go through the committee process next week when council members will hash out details on the size of the businesses and other qualifying factors. Westmoreland said he fully expects the legislation to be voted on at the June 17 council meeting.
During his comments to council, Dickens also added that at the city’s request, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coming to help assess the vulnerability of Atlanta’s aging water system. The mayor said he expects the agency to have “boots on the ground” Tuesday.
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