PENDLETON — Over the next four months, a good chunk of the expenses of local restaurants will be covered courtesy of the city of Pendleton.

At a special meeting of the Pendleton Development Commission, which is helmed by the city council, members voted to approve the Save Our Amazing Restaurants grant program, which will provide non-chain restaurants with an up to $5,000-per-month grant for four months.

The total cost of the proposal is $600,000 for restaurants in and outside the urban renewal district, and it’s unlike any other grant or loan program the city has done before. Pendleton Economic Development Director Steve Chrisman said the circumstances of the state’s COVID-19 restaurant shutdowns required a significant response.

“It’s been a once-in-a-century experience and it requires a once-in-a-century solution,” he told the council.

Chrisman and Pendleton Chamber of Commerce CEO Cheri Rosenberg have been promoting the program, and the latter said the new program would give the city a chance to differentiate itself from the state’s approach to restaurants.

“Oregon is not a small business-friendly place,” she said. “That’s been made loud and clear. And Pendleton can be.”

Approval for the grant program passed 6-2, with councilors Sally Brandsen and Jake Cambier voting against and Councilor McKennon McDonald absent.

Before voting no, Brandsen argued that the program needed to be more expansive.

“If we are going to do this, I strongly believe we must be inclusive about supporting our businesses, and that means opening up this application process to all businesses, not just restaurants,” she said before clarifying that she was still supportive of helping restaurants.

Mayor John Turner countered that restaurants were among the few classes of business targeted for shutdowns, necessitating the targeted response.

As the development commission, the council approved $460,000 for the 23 restaurants eligible in the urban renewal district. But the council also plans to open up $140,000 for the seven restaurants outside the district, which will require a follow-up action at a future meeting.

For restaurants outside the downtown core, the grant money is much appreciated.

“Every little bit helps,” said Randy Cook, the owner of The Saddle Restaurant and Lounge.

Cook said the shutdowns have forced The Saddle to lay off about half of its staff and make cuts to work hours. While he’s been able to make payroll and pay the bills, Cook said he doesn’t make money off of The Saddle these days.

If he gets the grants, Cook said the money would go toward payroll and keeping his employees working at the restaurant.

On the other side of town, Roosters Country Kitchen has also been hit hard by the pandemic and its accompanying restrictions.

In an email, Roosters General Manager Amy Madden wrote that the restaurant’s staff has been reduced from the 22 staff members to three and a 58% drop in volume.

A member of the chamber board, Madden gave plaudits to Rosenberg and the council for starting the program.

Although she isn’t sure if Roosters will apply for the grant, she says the restaurant plays a role in helping the downtown area.

“Even though our business is not downtown, just over half our annual volume can be directly linked to visitors who make a downtown visit a part of, if not the reason for, their stay in Pendleton,” she wrote.

While the city has been planning on how to help restaurants survive the shutdown, elected officials across the county wrote to Gov. Kate Brown to end it.

In a letter dated Jan. 22, Turner was joined by Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotmzann, Milton-Freewater Mayor Lewis Key, Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock, state Sen. Bill Hansell and state Rep. Bobby Levy in requesting Brown allow Umatilla County restaurants to reopen in-person dining.

The letter argued that the county’s COVID-19 rates have continued to rise despite the restaurant shutdowns, suggesting that maybe residents were choosing riskier at-home social gatherings over restaurants. The group proposed making Umatilla County a trial county in demonstrating the viability of keeping restaurants open during the pandemic.

The officials also referenced data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed Florida’s COVID-19 death rate was below California’s, despite the latter having tougher restaurant restrictions.

The letter didn’t mention Oregon’s death rate, which is far lower than both and is tied for the second best among states. When asked about Oregon’s death rate compared to other states, Turner reiterated a line from the letter that states, “Locking down restaurants does greater economic harm than its value in controlling the spread of the virus.”

Their arguments didn’t sway the governor’s office, which wrote a response on Jan. 26.

“We have had other counties come to us with pilot proposals as well,” Leah Horner, the regional solutions director for the governor’s office, wrote. “We will be announcing small tweaks to extreme risk tomorrow but not that allow indoor dining given the inability for face coverings. We will continue to monitor data and this letter is helpful as we look to the future.”