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Village of Wilmette E-news
Enews
The following email provides timely information on general news and community events from the Village of Wilmette. For more information, please visit the Village of Wilmette website.
As we all work to navigate this difficult time due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Village is providing more frequent communications to residents. Today, we've included information on a new Village-sponsored economic relief program for Wilmette businesses, resources for small businesses and what you can do to help support our business community. Also, we've included information on local cases. 
Wilmette Approves $375,000 to Help Small Businesses During COVID-19 Crisis  

Small Businesses Can Apply for Financial Assistance through New Sales Tax Rebate Program

The Wilmette Village Board unanimously approved a $375,000 economic relief package to support small businesses in the Village which have been negatively impacted by the current public health crisis. The program will provide immediate financial support to restaurants, retail stores and other local merchants through a municipal sales tax rebate program.  

Wilmette Village President Bob Bielinski stated, "We recognize that COVID-19 has placed a substantial burden on the Village's small business community. This program will provide funds for businesses that need help now making payroll or paying suppliers." He added, "As a local government, Wilmette has the ability to move faster than the federal and state governments which are implementing more substantial financial assistance programs for small businesses. The intent of this program is to put money into the hands of businesses immediately so they can continue to remain in business until they are able to access those larger programs."
Small Business Administration (SBA) Resources for Small Businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved the state's eligibility for disaster assistance loans for small businesses facing financial hardship in all 102 counties due to COVID-19. Eligible businesses can apply for low-interest loans to help offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
State Resources
The State of Illinois is working to provide emergency assistance program for Illinois small businesses through a variety of programs.
Other Resources
Village Launches Local Business Web Map - Our Businesses at Your Fingertips


There is no question that the  COVID-19 crisis and "stay-at-home" order are having a devastating impact on our business community - including retail, restaurants and others. The Village Board approved the sales tax rebate program  in an effort to provide short-term economic relief to our local businesses. The Village has also created a new interactive web map to make it easy to access current information about our restaurants and merchants and their services. 
Check out the Chamber's 'Open for Business' Directory

The Wilmette/Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce has compiled a comprehensive list of restaurants offering curbside pickup or delivery and i nformation about other stores and service businesses.  Check it out !
4 Easy Ways to Help Support Wilmette Businesses

We all need to work together to help Wilmette businesses during these challenging times. Here are four things you can do: 
  1. Think and shop local (consider a small business before hitting 'buy' on Amazon Prime).
  2. Order delivery, drive-thru and curbside pick-up from a Wilmette restaurant and don't forget to tip.
  3. Buy gift cards from Wilmette businesses.
  4. Amplify your support - Give a business a shout-out on social media, leave them a kind review, or hype them up through word-of-mouth.
Local Cases of COVID-19

In our continued commitment to keep residents informed about the public health crisis, we  wanted to share information regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wilmette, as reported by the media. The Village has pos ted links to media articles on our COVID-19 web page . 

As we shared Tuesday in our special E-news, the Village does not receive this level of information from our state and county partners. The Cook County Department of Health manages and releases this data for most municipalities in our county. However, there are some communities (like neighboring Evanston and Skokie) that are able to report more details about confirmed cases of COVID-19 because they are certified as municipal health departments in Illinois.

For the most up-to-date information on Illinois case counts, visit the Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Health websites.