Staring down the possibility of economic ruin from the coronavirus crisis, Leon County and Tallahassee city commissioners signed off on a $1 million relief package for local businesses.

The decision by the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, made up of all 12 city and county commissioners, happened Wednesday during what was one of the most unusual and perhaps most important meetings in its history.

In keeping with social distancing protocols, commissioners hammered out a relief deal via video conference. After hours of sometimes tense debate, commissioners approved payments of between $1,500 and $5,000 using Blueprint sales tax dollars.

“While I don’t think this is something that is going to solve every problem, hopefully it will help,” said County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, chairman of the Blueprint board. “We don’t know where the community will be three days from now, three weeks from now, but we need to be prepared.”

The plan would distribute money based on the number of employees on the payroll.

Businesses with one to 10 employees would be eligible for $1,500. Those with 11 to 24 would get $2,500, and those with 25 to 50 employees would receive $5,000.

Not all commissioners were happy with where the final vote landed. City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who has been a vocal critic of Blueprint, wanted to give more money to smaller businesses.

“Local restaurants with less than 25 employees just got screwed at Blueprint,” he tweeted after the vote.

The Blueprint board passed on a proposal by Mayor John Dailey to spend another $1 million to help individuals out of work and nonprofits. That died because it didn't get enough support from his former colleagues on the County Commission.

However, commissioners will revisit that issue and numerous other proposals when they next meet.

Back story:Coronavirus and the economy: What a local stimulus package for businesses could look like

Matlow, City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox and County Commissioners Kristin Dozier and Bill Proctor voted against the relief package that ultimately passed.

The decision came as news trickled down about a $2 trillion dollar deal struck by Congress that if approved would be the biggest federal stimulus package in U.S. history.

Desloge said the local funding is meant to be a Band-Aid until money comes from other sources.

“We can’t be the federal government; we can’t be everything to everybody,” he said. “Speed is of the essence.”

And while the funding included $150 billion in help to local communities, it appeared that it was available only to cities and counties with populations over 500,000 people. Leon County has nearly 300,000 residents.

The plan would use Blueprint economic development dollars to keep businesses running while they wait for $820 million in state money along with federal dollars.

However, Sarah Vilms, the county's federal lobbyist in Washington, said the state may be responsible for doling out federal money and may have different parameters in which communities would qualify.

Businesses must be for-profit and registered with the state to be eligible for Blueprint dollars. They must have one to 50 employees and an active utility account and be able to provide proof of application for a Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan or the federal Small Business Administration disaster assistance program.

The local program would run for 30 days. If applicants are approved they could see a three to five day turn around for funds to be available.

Some commissioners said $1 million was a great start but not enough to prevent local businesses from laying off workers and closing their doors. There is $2.8 million in the fund the money is coming from.

Matlow, a restaurateur who said he recently laid off at least a dozen employees, said some businesses will not get state and federal loans. He also worried that Blueprint, which uses sales tax dollars for infrastructure projects, could take a revenue hit from closed businesses. Matlow noted he would not be seeking local stimulus dollars.

“There’s a lot of businesses in town and they need a lifeline. We have the resources to do it,” he said. “For every business that closes that’s less money that (Blueprint) has. Each job we lose, that's less tax revenue. Every business we lose, that’s less tax revenue. We need to be focused on what works and making sure it’s not window dressing.”

There was a push by several commissioners to funnel more money into the package with many saying $1 million, in $2,500 installments, doesn’t go far enough to keep places afloat.

“We need more money. It is simply not enough but we have an emergency here; we have a fire. We can’t set aside special water for certain fires,” Williams-Cox said. “We need to be realistic that we need at least another million dollars to help these businesses.”

Dozier pushed for $5,000 allotments across the board saying the higher payments could have more impact, even if fewer grants are made available.

She said Blueprint projects already in commitment, like the recently approved Project Juggernaut, should remain. Others, like the proposed convention center where the IA has made a commitment but not acted, should maybe be reconsidered.

Back story:Blueprint approves $2.3M in incentives for 'Project Juggernaut,' which may bring 239 jobs to area

"We don’t need to be making any more large-dollar signing on the dotted lines, as it were, commitments until we get a better analysis of where we’re going to be," she said.

Dailey sought $1 million in money left over from a Blueprint project. But Pingree said based on the voter referendum, project dollars couldn't be used for such a purpose.

“In terms of having the flexibility to look into the Blueprint infrastructure side….I’m here to tell you the answer is no,” Pingree said. “Mixing of Blueprint infrastructure project funding for economic development funding is not possible"

Non-profits are not included in the plan and by Florida constitution, faith organizations are not eligible for economic development dollars, Pingree said.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.

Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat.