ASHLAND – Three local projects were approved for 2017 Community Development Block Grant funds.

City Engineer Shane Kremser informed Ashland City Council of the projects that were chosen during its meeting Wednesday evening.

The CDBG program, run by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, is designed to fund improvement projects in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods or to prevent or eliminate blight. The city is receiving $150,000 in direct allocation funds for the next two years.

The three projects that have been approved for funding are:

  • Paving Sharman Avenue from East Main Street to Cleveland Avenue. The project would cost $80,000 and is estimated to be completed in late spring to early summer 2018.
  • Improving Americans with Disabilities access at Dale-Roy School. According to Kremser, the project would cost $40,000 and would add a canopy and power-assisted doors, and improve ramp access with a new epoxy floor finish.
  • Demolition of two homes on Covert Court. The project would cost an estimated $25,000. Currently, the homes are owned by Pump House Ministries but are the subject of foreclosure proceedings by Ashland County. As long as the homes are still owned by Pump House Ministries, the demolition project will not be able to move forward using CDBG funds.

In the event the state of Ohio does not approve the Covert Court project, the proposed repavement of Sherman Avenue will be extended from Cleveland Avenue to East 8th Street. The extended project would cost $40,000, with $25,000 of the funds coming from the CDBG direct allocation funds.

Kremser said the remainder of the CDBG funds will be used to fulfill the Fair Housing Program requirements and administration of the grants.

During the first public hearing for the 2018 Proposed Tax Budget, City Finance Director Larry Paxton presented preliminary numbers for council to consider.

“Tax budgets are designed to look at the potential operating expenses for the next year and then to see if we have the revenues, or if we anticipate the revenues, to meet those expenses,” Paxton said.

The city started the year with $900,000 in cash carryover, but the finance director emphasized that there is no guarantee the city will end the year with that amount leftover.

“It all depends on what happens throughout the year. So please do not be alarmed when you see red ink on the tax budget,” Paxton said.

Paxton and his department share financial information with department heads and elected officials every week.

“So you can see actually where we are financially every five business days. In doing that, the department heads do a good job at looking at those things as well as you folks do, and we do try to control costs as much as we can,” Paxton said.

A second hearing on the tax budget will take place at the next council meeting on July 21.