By CHRIS JENSEN
Noblesville Mayor
Noblesville is facing many of the same challenges cities and towns across the country are dealing with during the pandemic. As we continue our fight against coronavirus, I want to let you know about some of the recovery efforts our city team has been doing on the ground and with our local, state and federal leaders to help Noblesville families and businesses make it through this difficult time.
At the start of the pandemic, we took immediate action to protect local businesses by creating the Small Business Resilience Grant Program. The program distributed $250,000 to over 40 local businesses and organizations impacted by coronavirus. This helped businesses preserve or refill at least 60 full-time jobs and at least 100 part-time jobs, pay rent, and cover other expenses to keep their doors open. These grants helped critical local businesses and organizations make it through the shutdown’s roughest days.
As schools were working toward reopening, we offered support for the school corporation through our school resource officers and offered public safety guidance.
To give our residents safe environments to get outside for exercise, entertainment, and quality time with family and friends, we hosted numerous free outdoor activities while incorporating significant health safeguards.
In recent weeks we worked with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch to set up a virtual roundtable with her and 15 local business owners to discuss the most pressing issues that need to be addressed to protect jobs and our economy – making sure Noblesville’s voice is heard when we need it most.
We know that essential city services like public safety, sanitation, trash collection, and road maintenance need to keep operating despite the shutdown, and in some cases federal help is vital for those services to proceed during this downturn. Working with other mayors across Indiana, I led a call with Sen. Todd Young and Rep. Susan Brooks to find ways to cut through red tape and get financial support for essential services to municipalities faster and more efficiently in the next round of coronavirus relief. I have also been in communication with many members of our state legislature and with executive branch officials to provide examples of expenses city government has incurred in responding to the pandemic and to advocate for support that is targeted to those areas of need.
Additional efforts include crafting 2021 budget proposal to hold the line on spending to make sure we maintain strong reserves to facilitate economic recovery and growth going forward.
Our Noble Act community paramedicine program is continuing to grow and focus on the mental health of our residents and take proactive steps to promote more positive outcomes.
We are continuing to work with companies that want to invest in our community to find the right projects to support housing, business support, workforce, and tax base growth goals.
We know there is work ahead and we can all do more to help. Take impactful action to support your local businesses, order carryout from our neighborhood restaurants, check in on elderly or homebound neighbors, and watch out for your friends and family.
Our table is always open for ideas and action to make Noblesville a better place for our residents, visitors and employees. As we continue to work to overcome this pandemic, I have never been more proud of my hometown and how Noblesville has come together to keep our city resilient, and moving forward, through these difficult times.
The most helpful step the city could take would be further educating the public on the importance of wearing masks and wearing them correctly (e.g. above the nose) and wearing effective masks, not light cloth coverings. Customers won’t come back until they feel safe. And that means everyone wearing a mask and staying away from indoor gatherings as well.