KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Financial help is on the way for Kansas City small businesses impacted by crime. The Kansas City Council gave its approval Thursday evening with a unanimous vote passing the Back to Business ordinance. That's a new pilot program meant to help small businesses impacted by property crimes, a major problem in the metropolitan area. Mayor Lucas responds to surge in property, violent crime in Kansas City Frustrations have been building in the city for months now because of it. "I want to figure out a solution with community leaders to keep it from occurring in the first place," said Matt Shatto. He owns Betty Rae's Ice Cream, a small business in the River Market, and spoke with FOX4 on Wednesday after his business got broken into Tuesday night. Last week, Mayor Quinton Lucas unveiled plans for the Back to Business program. Though some, including Shatto, don't think that'll address the problem. "What I can tell you is the answer is not reactive. The answer is proactive. I can get $5,000 to replace a door and that's great, again, it's money," Shatto said. Lucas addressed Shatto's comments ahead of Thursdays' city council meeting, after Shatto posted a lengthy response to the city's growing crime issue. "I have heard from a number of businesses that say this is a positive. I don't know how helping a business invest in prevention is a bad thing. I don't know how helping a business that's had a window broken out is a bad thing," Lucas said. Many more Royals wins try to yank up attendance numbers The Back to Business fund contains $325,000, which comes from the city's Unappropriated Fund Balance. To qualify, you must have a current business license with the Kansas City and provide documentation showing how much your repairs cost. Businesses can get $3,000 for repairs that happen between July 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025. An additional $5,000 is available for small businesses to install security measures during that same time frame. During Thursday's city council meeting, the mayor said the program doesn't answer all issues in terms of prevention and public safety but indicated it's a step in the right direction. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android "The goal is very simply this: to make sure that businesses know that city council supports them and wants them to remain in our city, and that the city recognizes the cost as it relates to small businesses recovery from property crimes," he said. Applications are expected to start next month. The program will then review applications until the funds are exhausted.