Last week, The Oro Valley Town Council discussed what the town is doing and what it can do in the future to aid those businesses in our community that have been decimated by Covid-19 social distancing imposed restrictions.
Grocers and home stores are booming, They are even hiring, according to Dave Perry, head of The Greater Oro Valley's Chamber of Commerce ("GOVTC").
Overall, though the shock to small businesses has been extreme. As Council Member Solomon noted: "One day these were businesses that were thriving in a booming economy. The next day they are closed."
...to alleviate, in some fashion, this economic horror show
The State's shutdown of all non essential businesses is an economic horror show. It is a horror show that extends well beyond the retail and hospitality industry, It is a horror show that extends into the medical community, where dental offices are closed, physical therapy offices have limited hours, and local physicians are seeing fewer patients because people have been "scared into" not coming to appointments. Physicians have cancelled elective surgeries, impacting hospital use.
All of this is a terrible economic blow to businesses and residents of Oro Valley. It is also a huge blow to Oro Valley's budget. A subject we will discuss in a future article.
Help to date
The town has moved to help retailers, relaxing Oro Valley's sign codes. For all small businesses, the town has a web page that lists resources for business to use, including links to the government's CARE program. According to Town Manager Mary Jacobs, the town has appointed an ombudsman to work with businesses, added police presence for retailers, and waived late fees for permit filings. The town intends to waive fees for emergency repairs. The town has suspended water disconnects. Many of these costs and fees are relatively small. Still, as Jacobs noted at the meeting, they are something.
Mayor Winfield commended businesses for taking their own initiatives, some closing voluntarily,
He asked residents we consider things we can do to support the jobs in our community (see video). For example, though the Best Buy store is closed, you can can buy on line and pick the product up at the store.
In concluding his remarks, Winfield asked that those of us who leave for the summer, consider remaining in Oro Valley this year to help sustain our local business.
Looking Forward
The town will collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce to develop a data base of Oro Valley businesses. The database is needed so that both groups can reach the entire business community. This effort will be led by the Chamber.
The town will consider other action items of at future meetings. For example, Council Member Solomon suggested that the town consider a sales tax holiday for some period. He believes that this would help both the consumer and businesses in town. In addition, he thinks that it might bring in business from outside the community.
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