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SALEM -- Legislation approved Tuesday will allow city council to preserve part of the current Community Reinvestment Area map while allowing more properties to qualify for the tax break under a new map.
The ordinance is just another step in the process to open up the areas where property owners can earn the tax break on the increased value created by new construction or remodeling.
Councilman Jake Gano, who's been spearheading the changes to the CRA through the Economic Development Committee, said this allows for the preservation of part of the old CRA or pre-1994 CRA. The new map will be done under the new rules for CRAs or post-1994.
He said they'll have more discussions about the changes in the new year.
According to the ordinance, the current pre-1994 CRA and subsequent modifications is too restrictive and excludes several key areas in need of development through reinvestment. By reducing parts of the pre-1994 CRA, "a new more inclusive post-1994 CRA can be established," the ordinance said.
The tax breaks can be sought for residential, commercial and industrial development.
In other business, city council authorized spending $7,995 of the American Rescue Plan Act funds through the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center for the purchase and setup of a one-year license for the SizeUp software program to help local small businesses.
The technology will be managed by the SOD Center and accessible through the SOD Center website, providing businesses access to demographics, labor force data, customer, supplier and competitor mapping and other valuable information. The Economic Development Committee had agreed to forward the proposal to council.
Gano explained the amount approved is for the first year of a three-year plan, with subsequent years costing $4,995 each. SOD Center Executive Director Julie Needs said previously that information like this helps businesses thrive and they'll have 24/7 access.
Council also approved a resolution related to the downtown sidewalk replacement project that's scheduled for next year to allow the Ohio Department of Transportation to construct the improvements, allowed for the bidding for water and wastewater chemicals by the utilities department and approved several end-of-year appropriations and reductions in appropriations.