Data shows small businesses lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue during Operation Metro Surge. A Hennepin County program launched to help them ended up shutting down. Nearly half of the applications for taxpayer-funded recovery money were fake. "We caught the fraud before we spent any money," Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde said. Lunde says it was an unfortunate win. In March 2026, Hennepin County Commissioners approved $2 million to help small businesses cover rent or mortgage payments as Operation Metro Surge kept customers away.