County adds funding for land bank
Franklin County commissioners on Tuesday approved another $2.375 million for the county land bank to build affordable homes on property it controls.
In 2020, commissioners approved $2.375 million for the county land bank.
The need for more funding is due to the increased price of materials and huge demand for houses, said Curtiss Williams, president and CEO of the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation (COCIC).
“The demand is high, the demand is great,” he said of affordable housing.
Seven homes are currently being built in Urbancrest with another eight in
Whitehall, according to Williams, who predicts 30 more will be constructed next year.
Commissioners on Tuesday also approved an additional $2.625 million for the county land bank, money that Williams wants to use for preconstruction and to create a construction financing fund.
“We feel that if we can build a fund for development financing, we can build more homes, we can probably build them quicker and we can build them at less cost,” he said.
“We needed a little bit more cushion to have an impact.”
Money approved Tuesday for the land bank comes from conveyance fees.
In other action on Tuesday, the commissioners approved the allocation of a little more than $3 million in federal money for rental assistance – $1.5 million for the county's Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) Emergency Rental Assistance Program and about $1.5 million for PCR Plus, which provides rental assistance for families with incomes between 166% and 300% of the federal poverty level.
The commissioners last approved $1.5 million for the PRC program in September in response to need resulting from COVID-19 and its economic impact.
“However, the need has persisted,” said Vivian Turner, an assistant director for the county Department of Job and Family Services.
Since the federal moratorium on evictions lapsed in August, rental assistance requests have increased nearly 70% compared to the same time period in 2020, Turner said.
Money from the PRC program can be used to cover past rent owed, and can combine with other county programs to help cover the cost of three future months, in addition to utilities, according to Turner.
On another matter, the board of commissioners is expected to vote on a proposed $536 million general fund budget during its regular 9 a.m. session on Dec. 14. Total spending potentially will change from the recommended spending plan, following input from agencies, other elected officials and the public. mtrombly@dispatch.com @Monroetrombly.