A statement issued by Rice County this week said the Small Business Administration has two separate programs that are making low-interest, disaster relief loans to several types of businesses and organizations in the wake of the flooding last month throughout Rice County, and Greater Minnesota.
President Biden’s Declaration of a Major Disaster on July 11th activated authority for the SBA to provide disaster assistance and loan assistance to private nonprofit facilities which provide non-critical services of a governmental nature.
These facilities must first apply for and exhaust disaster assistance from the SBA or be declined by the SBA before they can seek assistance for permanent repairs and/or replacements from FEMA.
Non-critical services are defined as Museums, Educational Facilities, Zoos, Custodial care facilities, Libraries, Alcohol & Drug rehabilitation, Community Centers, Battered Spouse Programs, Homeless Shelters, Low-income housing, Shelter Workshops, Food Programs for the needy, Senior citizen centers, and Daycare centers for special needs.
Under the SBA’s Physical Disaster Business Loan program, low-interest, long-term loans can be made to businesses of all sizes, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, nonprofit organizations in order to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, including real estate, inventory, supplies, machinery and equipment.
Meanwhile, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program provides working capital loans to help the same types of organizations meet ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster.
These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period. EIDL assistance is available only to entities and their owners who cannot provide for their own recovery from non-government sources, as determined by the SBA.
To apply for assistance, go to MySBA Loan Portal or contact the SBA at 1-833-572-0502.
Physical Loan Application Deadline: 08/27/2024 Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan Application Deadline: 03/28/2025
For a full listing of what constitutes a non-critical service of a governmental nature, and for application information, visit the news section of the Rice County website at ricecountymn.gov.
NAFRS taxing district not in the immediate future
After years of conversation and consideration, the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Joint Powers Board has decided to indefinitely table the idea of re-forming into a taxing authority. The Minnesota State Legislature passed a law several years ago allowing for public safety organizations to form a taxing district, and the NAFRS board has discussed the option since then.
A taxing authority has the ability to levy taxes on the community to pay for its operations, and gives the operation autonomy from the government, singular or plural, that the organization serves. In NAFRS’ case, the organization is a three-way partnership between the City of Northfield, the City of Dundas, and the multiple Townships that make up the Rural Fire District. Forming a taxing district would remove the need for each authority to approve the NAFRS budget each year and would relieve the Rural Fire District from having to set their annual levies before they know what the NAFRS budget will be.
Northfield Area Fire Chief Tom Nelson said there are several reasons for the decision. It would mean ending the joint powers agreement and completely re-organizing the way NAFRS works. There is some question about the board membership as well and whether members of the board would have to be elected, or if they could continue to be appointed to the board by their respective municipalities.
Nelson said another reason NAFRS is not acting right now is to see how other districts go about things.
“So, part of it is waiting to see how others do it. Let’s watch how others are doing it around the state. Part of the decision is to not have to be the second or third taxing district, but it also buys us some time to look at what other folks are doing, what their model is and what issues they are confronting and solving.”
Nelson said the board does acknowledge that some changes should be made to the organization. After ten years, he said some sections of the Joint Powers agreement are no longer aligned with their needs and priorities. He said next year a committee will be formed, which he intends to lead, that will conduct a full review of the agreement, and make recommendations to the full board.
“We’ll look for the things in the Joint powers agreement that are either stale or obsolete from when we first formed? There have been a lot of changes, like having a full time Fire Chief to be the administrator of the Joint Powers Agreement, and so there are just things that need to be dusted off and examined.”
Nelson said this decision does not mean that NAFRS will never form a taxing district. Rather he said, it only means that would not be in the best interest of the Fire Department or the communities it serves right now.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Area Fire Chief Tom Nelson can be heard here
Vintage Band Fest testing Friday night, all day Saturday format
Northfield’s 18th Vintage Band Festival will begin tonight and run through tomorrow on Bridge Square.
Over the years the festival has taken on different forms. Every three years it is a a four-day event that floods Northfield with music in venues scattered throughout the city. On the off years it has traditionally been a more compact one-day event that happens on Bridge Square. This year is a day-and-a-half event, again on Bridge Square, that will host 14 individual bands with music ranging from Bavarian Horns to Irish Pipes to traditional 1940’s era big bands and much more.
This year’s event will begin at 5:30 this afternoon with Latin themed music from K-Libre24, followed by Mariachi Mi Tierra and the McNasty Brass Band.
The music will resume Saturday morning at 9:00 with the New Prague Area Community Band and will run straight through 10pm when Beasley’s Big Band wraps the festival up. Other participating bands include the Sheldon Theatre Band, the Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble, the Minnesota State Band, and The Frier Department, led by much heralded Northfield Jazz Band instructor Ethan Frier.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dean Lamp and Joy Riggs can be heard here
KYMN Daily News 7/26/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
