Bernalillo County puts grant applications on hold

BY MATTHEW NARVAIZ JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Bernalillo County is pausing applications for its Premium Pay for Eligible Employees Grant just two days after the county began seeking them.

The grant, which employers had to apply for, is meant as a bonus for essential workers who had kept businesses running during the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses were able to receive a maximum of $50,000, with individual employees able to get up to $3,000 through the $5 million in federal funds the county earmarked for the program.

The grant program officially opened up applications on Monday morning on a first-come, first-served basis. Nearly 440 businesses have applied, county Economic Development Director Marcos Gonzales said.

But Gonzales in a Wednesday news release indicated that the county will reopen the application process if there are funds left. “We will continue to process the applications we have received until all of the $5 million of ARPA funding is exhausted,” Gonzales said.

Eligibility included for-profit and nonprofit organizations who employ any number of workers who make $20 an hour or less, not including tip wages. Eligible businesses had to fall under essential services, including health care, sanitation and maintenance, grocery stores, food delivery and production, education and more than a dozen others.

The grant program for essential workers followed a similar allocation county commissioners approved last fall, when they designated $5 million for county employees such as custodians, community center staff and those in public safety and behavioral health.