DCEO offering second round of BIG grants
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is awarding $220 million as part of the second round of its Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program, which provides economic relief for small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19. Applications are available on the DCEO website.
Areas subject to regional mitigation measures due to COVID-19 resurgence (including Will County) will receive priority. Priority also will be given to the most heavily impacted industries, including event spaces, music venues, performing arts venues, indoor recreation, amusement parks, movie theaters, museums and charter/shuttle buses
Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply as soon as possible! Read this release from DCEO for more information.
Illinois issues statewide mask mandate for bars, restaurants
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a new statewide mandate requiring all patrons of restaurants and bars to wear a mask while interacting with waitstaff and other employees when food and beverages are brought to the table and when picking up carryout orders. The new mandate went into effect Wednesday, Aug. 26. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have released a revision to its Restore Illinois Safety Guidelines for Bar and Restaurant Establishments that reflect the new face mask guidance.
Coronavirus Information and Resources
The restaurant industry, more than any other industry in the nation, has suffered the most significant sales and job losses since the COVID-19 outbreak began. Restaurant owners can visit a resource section at Restaurant.org containing information needed to navigate the new challenges COVID-19 has presented the food service industry.
Phase Three of the State’s “Restore Illinois” allows outdoor dining at restaurants. The Village has created a simple, straightforward application process geared at expediting the time from submittal to approval. Interested restaurant owners/operators can email a completed Temporary Outdoor Dining Application for Tinley Park Restaurants, as well as a sketch of the planned outdoor dining area layout, to outdoordining@tinleypark.org. Community Development Department staff will reply to the request within one business day of receipt and will schedule the required inspection within two business days. Find out more at TinleyPark.org/TempOutdoorDining.
Village creates redevelopment grant for eligible Tinley Park businesses
The Village is committed to assuring the long-term viability of the community by encouraging private investment in sites throughout Tinley Park that need significant redevelopment. Because many of these sites don’t meet the criteria for traditional incentive agreements, the Village recently created the Non-Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Grant for properties not able to access existing funding opportunities. Funds can be used for facade improvements, code compliance, storm water management, parking lot improvements and environmental remediation. This is a matching grant of 50% of a minimum of $10,000 or a maximum of $30,000 per tax-paying business. For more information or to apply, visit the Village website at TinleyPark.org/RedevelopmentGrant.
DCEO offers WorkNet grant
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has made funds available for local WorkNet offices throughout Illinois to prevent essential, small businesses from laying off or furloughing employees. DCEO is looking for businesses for whom these potential grant dollars would make the difference between keeping workers on or having to layoff/furlough. Business who are interested should fill out a brief application and submit it to their local WorkNet office by close of business on Wednesday, May 6. For more information, please see the WIOA Funding Opportunities letter. Illinois WorkNet is the state's primary employment and training resource for workforce development. See this website to find a WorkNet Center near you.
Restaurant/Bars Resources
See the below resources for owners/operators of bars and restaurants.
CARES Act for businesses
The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. When implemented, there will be many new resources available for small businesses, as well as certain nonprofits and other employers. This guide provides information about the major programs and initiatives that will soon be available from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to address these needs, as well as some additional tax provisions that are outside the scope of SBA.
License Extensions
The State of Illinois has granted license extensions to numerous professions. See below for more information on:
- Professions whose renewal deadlines have been extended until Sept. 30, 2020
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) press release
- IDFPR variance resolution
Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans
The State of Illinois has received its statewide Economic Injury Declaration, which means small businesses in all 102 Illinois counties may be eligible for low-interest, economic injury disaster loans for as much as $2 million per business. The deadline to apply is Dec. 21, 2020.
Short-Term Sales Tax Relief
In an effort to assist eating and drinking establishments impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is waiving any penalty and interest that would have been imposed on late sales tax payments from qualified taxpayers. For more information, visit the IDOR’s informational bulletin at tax.illinois.gov.
Unemployment Eligibility
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has issued an emergency rule addressing unemployment eligibility. The issue of chargeability to an employer’s experience rate is not addressed in the emergency rule and will likely need to be clarified through legislation. The Illinois Chamber and other business groups are pushing for such a change when the General Assembly returns to Springfield. Visit the IDES website for more information.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act include:
- Mandatory employer-provided emergency sick pay and emergency paid family leave for employers with fewer than 500 employees
- Credit will be provided to employers to reimburse 100% of the qualified sick leave wages as a credit against Employer Social Security Tax
- Available to qualified full- and part-time employees beginning April 2 through the end of 2020
Visit Congress.gov for more information.
Safety tips for hand sanitizer dispensers
People are using hand sanitizer now more than ever before. But did you know that, if not properly handled, hand sanitizer can pose a significant fire hazard? The main ingredient in sanitizers is alcohol, and the amount of alcohol needed for an effective disinfecting solution is high enough to be classified as a flammable liquid.
To reduce the risk of fire when using alcohol-based hand rubs, the Tinley Park Fire Department would like you to consider that the maximum capacity for each wall-mounted dispenser is 68 ounces, and that the minimum separation between individual dispensers should be 48 inches.
Don’t install dispensers directly adjacent to, directly above or below an electrical receptacle, switch, appliance, device or other ignition source. The wall space between the dispenser and the floor should remain clear and unobstructed, and dispensers should be mounted so that the bottom is a minimum of 42 inches and a maximum of 48 inches above the finished floor. Also, make sure your dispensers don’t release their contents unless activated.
Please see the attached flyer or call the Tinley Park Fire Prevention Bureau at (708) 444-5200 for information on “touch-free” dispensers and other helpful tips.
Facebook Group for Restaurants
The Tinley Park and Orland Park Chamber of Commerce have teamed together to create a Facebook group to help promote restaurants’ menu and delivery options to the community. Visit the group's Facebook page for more information.
Additional Resources
See below for other resources for Tinley Park businesses.
- Executive Order 2020-63-102720 (State of Illinois)
- Phase Four Business Guidance
- Southland SBD COVID-19 Recovery Options
- Common errors to avoid when filing for advance payment of employer credits
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COVID-19 paid leave tax credits for small and midsize businesses
- Beyond the Curve: A Toolkit for Reopening Your Community