Veneta BAC recommends $1,300 grant for "Not Your Mama's Tie Dyes"

The Veneta Business Advisory Committee recommended that the City Council approve a $1,300 grant for Not Your Mama's Tie Dyes to support equipment and working-capital needs.

"Can I get a motion to recommend Not Your Mama's Tie Dyes business grant application to be approved by city council in the amount of $1,300?" the committee chair asked before a second was recorded. Committee members discussed how the program's Section A permits acquisition of machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures and noted a working-capital cap of no more than 25% of a grant award.

Committee members said the applicant has already contributed $1,300 as matching funds. The chair clarified the committee expects to reimburse documented expenses by invoice and will not dictate how the applicant uses the funds so long as receipts meet program requirements. The committee agreed to recommend the award to City Council and to return the full application record for council review.

The committee also raised concerns about program rules that generally prohibit refinancing or paying off loans from other lenders without prior VAC approval, and noted that an applicant's receipt of a prior loan may affect the committee's assessment of 'demonstration of need' for the grant. The committee asked staff to clarify application language around physical location and eligibility before future rounds.

Next steps: the committee said it will forward its recommendation to City Council; no roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript and the council action was described as the next decision point.