Members sought to serve on new board

Housing council being formed in conjunction with establishment of Community Reinvestment Area

Perry Village is seeking members for a volunteer board that is required to conduct a Community Reinvestment Area program.

Mayor James Gessic has asked Village Council to nominate two residents who could be appointed to the seven-member CRA Housing Council.

This new panel must be established because Village Council approved an ordinance in 2019 which designated the entire village as a Community Reinvestment Area.

The Community Reinvestment Area program, which is authorized by the state of Ohio, permits municipalities or counties to designate CRAs in places where investment has been discouraged. This is done to encourage revitalization of the existing housing stock and the development of new structures.

A CRA allows a property owner who meets the program’s established criteria to receive tax abatements on assessed valuation increases that result from any repairs and improvements made upon existing structures, or from new construction.

State regulations allow CRA tax abatements to be granted for eligible residential, commercial and industrial projects. Term lengths and percentages of the tax abatements vary depending on the extent of work undertaken by the property owner. But tax abatements on added valuation stemming from construction of new homes or buildings could be granted at up to 100 percent for 15 years.

The CRA legislation approved by council directs the village to create a Housing Council in conjunction with the program. This group will consist of two members appointed by council, two by the mayor and one by the village Planning Commission. Those five members of the newly formed board then will two appoint two additional village residents to round out the seven-member panel.

Responsibilities of the Housing Council will include making annual inspections of properties within the CRA for which a tax abatement has been granted; and hearing appeals of CRA decisions issued by the person designated as the village’s housing officer.

All individuals named to the board would be appointed for three-year terms.

At the Feb. 11 Village Council meeting, some legislators wondered how frequently the new panel would meet.

Village Solicitor James O’Leary said the CRA Housing Council would have to convene at least for an organizing meeting. But otherwise, the board’s meetings would be held if and when CRA appeals are filed, or whenever other specific matters need to be addressed.

Gessic said he would like council representatives to come up with names of prospective housing panel members, and be ready to discuss the subject again at the March 11 Village Council meeting.