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Small businesses in Riverside that have been hurt by COVID-19 could get help from the city with their utility costs.
About 3,300 businesses could be eligible for the program, which allows small businesses to apply their deposits to their account balance with the Riverside Public Utility, accord to a statement on the city’s website.
Deposits, usually for fixed costs like water or electricity, usually range from $2,500 to $3,000. Businesses have until March 31 to sign up for the program, which was proposed by Councilman Ronald Fierro and approved unanimously by the council.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and it is incumbent upon us to provide assistance where possible,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in the statement. “This common-sense program will help our small business owners make progress on their bills while maintaining the financial integrity of the utility.”
To be eligible, a business must have had fewer than 50 employees as of December 2019. It must also state in writing that it’s been hurt by the pandemic – either by loss of revenue, reduced work hours or a temporary closure and it must not be classified an “essential critical infrastructure” by the state.
Finally, the business must have a good payment history from December 2019 to March of last year, according to the statement.
