KINGSTON – Some applicants who received Ulster County 2022 CARES II Small Business Assistance Program grants may have been awarded when they, in fact, were not eligible, it was disclosed on Friday.
The president & CEO of the Ulster County Economic Development Alliance, Inc., a local development corporation, sent a letter on Friday to the 42 recipients of the 2022 CARES II Small Business Assistance Program alerting them to the possibility of errors in the scoring and selection process dating back to last fall that may have caused some applicants to be incorrectly awarded grants.
The letter was emailed to all recipients, who were also alerted via phone call, and who will also receive a copy via certified mail to ensure they receive the notice in a timely fashion.
The potential errors were uncovered by County Executive Jen Metzger’s office, as information was being compiled to assist County Comptroller March Gallagher in conducting an audit of the 2022 CARES II Small Business Assistance Program disbursement process.
Metzger said that the findings were preliminary and await a more comprehensive review by the Gallagher’s office.
The 2022 CARES II Small Business Assistance Program, approved by the county legislature last year, was managed by the Ulster County EDA under a contract with the county government.
Initial review of documents dating back to September 2022 indicates that income eligibility requirements may not have been correctly applied to the grant application review criteria.
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