Without the new grant program, which could be increased depending on the demand, Priskos said many of those businesses would close and never return to downtown without some type of grant.

"Once they've closed their doors they're not going to come back," he said.

Not everyone was overly excited about giving the money to mall tenants.

Councilwoman Nancy Saxton said if the mall didn't want to renew the leases of businesses they might not be the greatest retailers. If the businesses were viable they should be able to find a spot downtown where they could survive without city help.

"(Mall managers) would have contacted all the good ones," she said.

The City Council also kicked in $73,000 to place decorative flower baskets and ground floral arrangements on Main Street between 400 South and South Temple.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com