According to records available in an SBA database, Calumet City Clerk Nyota T Figgs applied for a PPP loan in the amount of 20K. The loan was approved for Figgs in on April 8th, 2021. Some interesting questions and considerations arise stemming from Figgs apparent application to receive money from the program. Unless someone filed this without her knowledge, she should provide answers.
The purpose of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is to help impacted businesses retain their workforce during the COVID-19 public health crisis. PPP is supported under the Cares Act, which is funded by federal tax dollars that working citizens pay.
On Clerk Figgs’ loan application, her business type is listed as sole proprietor and reported one job, appearing to indicate herself. The industry listed of her sole proprietorship is marketing consulting services. The PPP program provides up to 20% of the annual compensation for an employed person of the business. Given the loan was approved for 20k, that would require compensation of 100k in the year of 2019 as a consultant.
As Calumet City Clerk, Figgs is paid a base salary of about $120k annually, and has an expense account and monies paid for certifications in addition. Most people who bring in a six figure salary live comfortably and financially speaking, are surviving the pandemic. Why Figgs apparently felt she needed an additional 20K from taxpayers is a fair question. The PPP loan program is also limited by the amount of allocated dollars. The 20k for which she was approved means that money was not available for an actual struggling business and likely not already supported by taxpayers.
Interestingly, according to the SBA records Figgs applied the loan was funded by Capital Plus Financial, LLC which is located in Texas, not Illinois.
If she did not make this application, she should say so. If she did and given that Figgs is an elected official who is paid a six figure salary for a part time job, she should explain why she feels entitled to receive an additional 20k from taxpayers. She should also provide information about marketing consulting services that are worth 100k annually.
Source: https://www.federalpay.org/paycheck-protection-program/nyota-t-figgs-calumet-city-il