City of Aspen OKs gift card program

ASPEN, Colo. — The city of Aspen has approved a gift card program that will give some residents $25 to spend at retail stores or restaurants to help stimulate the local economy.

The Aspen City Council voted Tuesday to approve the $50,000 program as part of the city’s $6 million coronavirus relief and recovery fund, The Aspen Times reported.

More than 1,500 residents who received food tax refunds this year are eligible and can pick up the gift cards at city hall as early as next week, city officials said.

An additional 450 cards will be distributed to local nonprofit groups and the Aspen Police Department so officers can hand them out to people they encounter who need assistance, officials said.