Resources for Royal Oak Businesses Impacted by COVID-19

(updated March 27, 2020)

Provided below is a list of resources and information for Royal Oak businesses during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. The city, DDA, and Chamber of Commerce are in constant communication with the economic development leadership at the state and county levels, and this page will be updated as more resources become available. 

For the latest information, please visit www.michiganbusiness.org/covid19/

MICHIGAN STAY-AT-HOME ORDER

On March 23, 2020, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-21 that directs residents to remain at home or in their place of residence to the maximum extent feasible. A summary of her, "Stay Home, Stay Safe,” Executive Order is available online. 

For purposes of this order, critical infrastructure workers are those workers described by the Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in his guidance of March 19, 2020 on the COVID-19 response.

The order is to be construed broadly.  Jeff Donofrio, director of the state Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, has provided the following guidance: "Best advice for now — make a judgment call. If you're critical to an operation sustaining/protecting life, keep working. If you're not, stay home and help us save lives."

SBA DISASTER ASSISTANCE LOANS

The Small Business Administration is providing targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely impacted by COVID-19. The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. Small business owners in many states are now eligible to apply, including Michigan.

For eligibility information, please visit https://sbdcmichigan.org/disaster-loan-help/

To apply, please visit https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela

OAKLAND COUNTY SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF PROGRAM

Utilizing the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, Oakland County is creating a $3 million small business stabilization fund to support small businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19. 

Applications for the program are expected to be available the week of March 30.  For more information, please visit: 
https://www.oakgov.com/pages/news.aspx#/coulter-oakland-county-plans-to-create-3-million-stabilization-fund-for-small-businesses-impacted-by-covid-19

GUIDANCE TO EMPLOYERS CONTEMPLATING POTENTIAL LAYOFFS

Work Share Program

Michigan's Work Share program allows you to keep your employees working with reduced hours, while employees collect partial unemployment benefits to make up a portion of the lost wages. With Work Share, you can maintain operational productivity and hang on to your skilled workers.

For more information, please download this Work Share Fact Sheet

Temporary Leave vs. Termination

Due to the uncertainty regarding potential congressional action on how furloughed workers will be able to access federal resources, employers are strongly urged to place employees on temporary leave as opposed to termination. There is no additional cost to employers, employees remain eligible for unemployment benefits and they may remain eligible for potential federal assistance.

Steps for employers placing employers on temporary unpaid leave can be found here.

RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYEES

If you become unemployed, you may qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. These benefits are intended to provide temporary income as you seek new employment. To be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must be unemployed and able to, available for, and actively seeking suitable full-time work.

A claim for unemployment benefits begins the week it is filed. Therefore, you should file your claim during your first week of unemployment.

There are two ways to file a new claim or re-open an existing claim:

ONLINE is the fastest and preferred method. 

Visit www.michigan.gov/uia and sign into MILogin to access or create an account on the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM)

VIA TELEPHONE, call 1-866-500-0017. If you are hearing impaired, TTY service is available at 1-866-366-0004.

TAX PAYMENT DELAYS

Small businesses scheduled to make their monthly sales, use and withholding tax payments on March 20 can postpone filing and payment requirements until April 20. The state Treasury Department will waive all penalties and interest for 30 days.

Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service moved the national income tax filing day ahead to July 15, 2020, three months after the normal deadline for individuals and businesses to send in their returns.

CITY UPDATES AND CONTACTS

The City of Royal Oak takes the health and safety of our residents, employees and visitors very seriously. The best way to stay informed is to sign-up for email or text messages from the city using NotifyMe or follow the city on social media where we post regular updates.

Effective March 17, 2020 all municipal buildings are closed to the public until further notice.  That said, city staff will still be answering your calls, opening mail, processing applications and more. Licenses and voter information may be filled on online. Other forms may be downloaded. Learn more at https://www.romi.gov/535/Forms-Applications

Please contact the following for personalized business support:

Todd Fenton

Economic Development Manager

toddf@romi.gov

Sean Kammer

Downtown Manager, Royal Oak DDA

sean.kammer@romi.gov

Shelly Kemp

Executive Director, Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce

shellyk@royaloakchamber.com