South Galveston News

The Galveston County Economic Development Corp. began using its funds to help local businesses harmed by the economic shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A portion of the sales tax collected annually funds economic development organizations in Dickinson, La Marque and Texas City. Under joint agreements with the cities, general funds can go toward any projects.

La Marque handed out $551,000 in grants to every city business that applied for funds, City Manager Charles “Tink” Jackson said.

“A half-cent of every dollar collected in sales tax in La Marque goes to the EDC and is used to fund EDC projects during the year,” Jackson told The Daily News.

He estimated the grant money already distributed will be about half of what the agency collects this year.

“It’s made all the difference in our ability to keep our doors open, keep the lights on and keep utilities going,” Shirley Crowder, owner of Mama Frances Soul Kitchen, told The Daily News. “That support really gave me hope that we might make it through this.”

Crowder has one employee working with her at the La Marque business. The grant will cover overhead costs and help keep her from shutting down completely.

Texas City gave 173 businesses more than $830,000 to help them keep workers employed and to meet business financial obligations. Each business has fewer than 50 employees.

“Our community has endured strife and challenges in the past, but as we all can attest, better days are ahead,” The Daily News reported the Texas City Economic Development Corp.’s board of directors announced.

Dickinson opened for applications for an Emergency Business Recovery and Expansion Grant Program.

The Dickinson EDC supplied $200,000 for the program, with grant winners announced April 27. Funds will be distributed around May 1. The businesses that qualified must have a physical address in Dickinson that’s not a home and employ 50 or fewer people. A plan on how the business planned to use the funds had to be included.

Officials said Galveston and League City’s economic development entities could not move as quickly to help local businesses because of how they were set up. Both were investigating how to provide funds.