$150 million in CARES Act grants announced

SANTA FE — New Mexico officials on Tuesday announced $150 million in federal CARES Act grants to local governments across New Mexico. The grants are intended to cover the cost of “necessary expenditures” incurred due to the public health emergency, according to a news release from the governor's office.

“The pandemic has been devastating for all of us, not least local governments and small businesses across our state,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release. “My administration will continue to deliver whatever resources we have and can make available to help our communities maintain essential services and respond to the public health emergency. Every applicant received funding. No one gets left behind. There is still more to do, and together we will continue fighting this virus with everything we've got.”

The Department of Finance and Administration received 83 local government applications for $100 million made available for local governments and 66 applications for $50 million made available for small business grants via local governments, the release said.

The city of Clovis was among the biggest winners, with $4.26 million available to award small businesses. Only the city of Las Cruces — at $5.44 million — received more.

The Clovis city commission in August approved an application for more than $8 million in grants, asserting the virus has negatively impacted the vast majority of the city's 2,744 active businesses.

City Manager Justin Howalt did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton said Portales and Roosevelt County submitted a combined application, as did other city/county entities around the state.

Hamilton and City Manager Sammy Standefer said they are happy with the money received.

“This is how we try to help our neighbors and friends survive this,” Hamilton said. “This is not political. Small business drives our local economy and those businesses have been obliterated by this pandemic and this administration's (governor's) response to it.”

Officials said they are still trying to understand the process for local businesses to apply for the grants, but that information should be coming this week.