PENDLETON — The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the expenditure of up to $1.18 million from the state-funded CARES Business Grant Program to support businesses in the hospitality industry affected by COVID-19.

The move, made during the commissioners’ Wednesday, Dec. 2, meeting, comes as small businesses across Oregon face economic hardship during the ongoing pandemic, which has brought mass layoffs as cases have spiked to unprecedented levels in recent weeks.

The commissioners each said that the approval of the funds was a highlight in the meeting, and a step in the right direction toward getting support for those who are struggling.

Commissioner Bill Elfering said the relief funds will help, but that it’s not nearly enough to keep businesses afloat to next summer. Instead, he hopes that the funds will provide temporary support while a vaccine is on the way.

“It may be the amount they need to keep the straw from breaking the camel’s back,” he said.

Businesses can expect an application to receive financial support to be posted as early as Dec. 3, according to Gail Nelson, the county’s economic development and tourism coordinator. The application will remain online through Dec. 15 with a goal to have the checks ready to distribute by Dec. 30.

County Commissioner George Murdock said the county has already distributed more than $2 million in funds since the pandemic began. Recent funds were distributed by ZIP codes, while the current funds will be distributed primarily to the hospitality industry, Murdock said.

Elfering said the funds will go to businesses that are struggling more than others, like small restaurants and bars. Businesses that have not had to close, like some grocery stores, will most likely not be approved to receive financial support, he said.

“I am hopeful that we will be able to help some businesses sustain,” Elfering said. “I hate to say $1.18 million is not enough. But it’s not enough.”

In response to mounting pressure from businesses who feared they would not survive another statewide shutdown meant to curb the spread of infection, Gov. Kate Brown announced Nov. 17 that the state would provide $55 million in federal CARES Act funding to help failing businesses. Each county has received $500,000 in funds, plus an additional amount depending on population.

Heading into the holiday season, however, federal funding from both the CARES Act and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program is set to expire, as benefits will end Dec. 26. The Oregon Unemployment Department has estimated that the expirations could cause up to 70,000 Oregonians to lose their jobs.

“Some things need to happen,” Murdock said. “We only have less than a month before we fall off another cliff.”

With a divided Congress showing no clear indication that a new pandemic relief package will be approved before the year-end deadline, a study from the Century Foundation has shown that as many as 12 million Americans will be at risk of losing benefits.

Also on the agenda for the commissioners’ meeting was the approval of election results, which included the election of county commissioner-elect Dan Dorran, the reelection of Sheriff Terry Rowan, who ran unopposed, and the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance, which passed. The results were approved unanimously.

Dan Lonai, the county’s director of administrative services, said in the meeting that the county’s Secretary of State department randomly selected batches of ballots, perhaps more than 1,500, to verify by hand that machines counted ballots correctly.