St. Paul Reporter

Lawmakers in St. Paul, Minnesota, are debating a multi-million dollar package to help offer relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The package would be designed to offer relief to small business owners and families in the state during the outbreak. Wes Burdine, a small business owner in Minnesota, is hoping to receive some relief from the package, according to CBS Minnesota.

While state lawmakers discuss the potential relief package, Burdine said he's eligible for a grant from a different program. The City of St. Paul is offering funding of its own for small business owners. 

Burdine owns the Black Hart of St. Paul, a bar located in St. Paul, that had to shut its doors before one of the biggest days of the year in Minnesota. 

He said he was preparing his bar for the Minnesota United home opener. Minnesota United is Major League Soccer, which postponed its season due to the coronavirus. And soon after Major League Soccer postponed the season, Burdine had to close his bar until further notice. 

“Right now we’re just trying to bunker down and cut as many costs, and survive,” Burdine told CBS Minnesota. 

But the St. Paul Bridge fund, a local grant program,  could potentially give small businesses owners in the city a $7,500 grant. 

"Here's some help to bridge the gap between today and the future," Mayor Melvin Carter said about the funding program. 

The St. Paul Bridge fund wouldn't be a permanent solution, Carter told CBS Minnesota, but it would help business owners until more aid arrives from the state. 

“It’s not enough at all. We know that our need is immense right now,” Carter said. “Our goal as a city is to do something, and even when we know we can’t do everything, we’re not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

The St. Paul Bridge fund consists of $3.85 million, most of which is public money. The funding will go toward small business owners, but low-income families that have at least one child in the household are also eligible to apply for a grant of $1,000. 

While the mayor said it isn't much, Burdine said the fund will help his bar stay open. 

“A place like this is about community and bringing people together and the community it’s supported over the years and being able to see people and just embrace people again,”  Burdine told CBS Minnesota. “I miss that.”