Utah cities gave six-figure pandemic relief to big business

HERRIMAN, Utah — EDITOR’S Take note: This tale was initially reported by Brooklyn Critchley and Lucas Welk final tumble when they have been in the investigative reporting course at the College of Utah. Their teacher was FOX 13 investigative reporter Nate Carlisle.

The discount coupons issued by Herriman in 2020 had been a major help to Terri Rummel and her loved ones.

“I appreciate the Herriman Bucks,” Rummel stated this thirty day period in the parking great deal of the Smith’s grocery keep in Herriman, “I hope they do it once more this yr. We used all ours right below, listed here at Smith’s.”

Herriman Bucks, also recognised as the Shop All-around plan, despatched discount coupons to Herriman citizens that they could redeem at taking part firms. The businesses could then submit the coupons to the metropolis for reimbursement.

The cash came from the CARES Act – the aid Congress handed to aid Us residents, their businesses and regional authorities as the pandemic was starting up. An evaluation by FOX 13 News and pupils in the investigative reporting class at the University of Utah located most of the Herriman Bucks went to large shops.

Go through – FOX 13 Investigates: Street particles is finding worse across Utah, and officers can not do a great deal to prevent it

Meanwhile, in Salt Lake Metropolis, the largest solitary chunks of pandemic reduction went to authentic estate builders, FOX 13 News and the learners located.

Herriman used $985,476 on Store Close to, in accordance to information. Of that, $489,160 went to the town’s Smith’s.

It is owned by Cincinnati-dependent Kroger, which claimed a income of $2.6 billion in fiscal 12 months 2020.

The future largest chunk went to the Herriman Walmart. It been given $220,900.

Arkansas-based Walmart described a revenue of nearly $15 billion in fiscal year 2020.

Herriman Bucks provided savings this sort of as $10 off a $20 buy. Tami Moody, a spokeswoman for Herriman municipal authorities, mentioned the method was well-known with the two residents and businesses.

Browse – FOX 13 Investigates: Moroni City law enforcement main thinks he was fired for producing mayor’s son a ticket, not use of drive

Moody said there was a dialogue in just the metropolis of no matter whether to involve the large merchants, and legal counsel reported it would be greatest to open up Herriman Bucks to any organization that needed to take part.

“We seriously wished to include things like [Smith’s and Walmart] mainly because we realized that various inhabitants ended up also acquiring hardships,” Moody claimed. “They offer groceries and groceries were being a authentic need.”

Smith’s and Walmart ended up the only grocers who participated.

American Burgers acquired $31,230.

“It served us retain personnel that we experienced,” reported Mary Manousakis, whose relatives owns American Burgers, on a modern afternoon where the grill was scorching and hamburgers had been currently being passed to prospects in excess of the counter and out the generate-thru window.

Manousakis, though, states the cash would have intended more to enterprises like hers instead than the businesses with “deep pockets.”

Of the 53 businesses listed as collaborating in Herriman Bucks, some received only a couple hundred dollars. At least two have shut.

“I feel that if [Shop Around] was personalized more towards the compact companies,” Manousakis mentioned, “and additional of the earnings was brought into the little companies, it would have served some that did close stay open.”

Examine – FOX 13 Investigates: Discover if your Utah household experienced racist covenants and how to modify them

Moody details out that Herriman also delivered corporations with PPE and other types of assist all through the pandemic.

Salt Lake Metropolis been given extra than $100 million in pandemic reduction. Most of that was specified for the airport, which was however under renovation as the pandemic started out and shed vacationers and the taxes they create. Other dollars was employed to give corporations PPE and crisis financial loans.

But the town also established aside revenue to assistance corporations that had contracts with Salt Lake City’s redevelopment agency. Of that, the two biggest recipients ended up real estate corporations who just about every obtained $100,000.

One of them was a subsidiary of the company owned by Dell Loy Hansen, the former proprietor of Serious Salt Lake. His reps did not return messages in search of comment.

The other $100,000 receiver was the operator of the office environment tower at Point out Street and 300 South. The tower has an assessed market value of $54 million.

Just one of the building’s house owners, Illinois-based Hamilton Associates, reported in an e-mail to FOX 13 Information that it leases the adjoining parking garage from the city. With less people coming downtown, $79,000 was made use of to offset parking losses. The business claimed it gave the remaining $21,000 to a person of its tenants, the Copper Common cafe.

“The goal is to hold payroll and to hold functions likely, in particular when people stopped coming downtown,” reported Anna Valdemoros, who signifies downtown on the Salt Lake Town Council and was vice chair of the redevelopment board in 2020.

Go through – FOX 13 Investigates: Utah bank stated as proprietor for airplanes of Russian billionaires

Valdemoros mentioned the council established the parameters for the pandemic reduction it was up to employees to distribute it.

“Downtown was specially hard strike by the pandemic,” reported Dee Brewer, govt director of Salt Lake City’s Downtown Alliance.

Brewer was not common with how Salt Lake Metropolis allocated its federal reduction bucks, but stated the metropolis was responsive to companies. It produced systems to tip wait personnel and shut most important road to accommodate outside eating.

“They acted pretty speedily to shift dollars by to businesses,” Brewer explained.

At one particular place, Salt Lake Town also gave $100,000 to the Marriott on Gallivan Plaza. The resort returned the money.

The town as an alternative employed it to pay firefighters, in accordance to a spokesperson for the redevelopment agency.