Amended Neighborhood Revitalization Plan moving forward
The Jackson County Commissioners are one step closer to finalizing a new Neighborhood Revitalization Plan after they recently conducted a hearing on the proposed plan.
With the new plan, the commissioners are proposing seven years of tax rebates on:
* New homes built within city limits.
* Existing homes that are being revitalized within city limits or within the unincorporated (rural) areas of the county.
The proposed tax rebates include a 95 percent tax rebate in both the first and second years, a 75 percent rebate in both the third and fourth years, a 55 percent rebate in the fifth year, a 35 percent rebate in the sixth year and a 25 percent rebate in the seventh year.
The rates for the amended plan were proposed by a group of city mayors, and Jonathan Wimer of Mayetta was present at the hearing to thank the commissioners for listening to the mayors’ input.
With the proposed amended plan, new homes built in the unincorporated (rural) areas of the county would qualify for five years of tax rebates.
Those rebates would include a 75 percent rebate the first year, 65 percent the second, 50 percent the third, 35 percent in the fourth and 35 percent in the fifth.
The seven-year rebates for commercial projects would remain the same, it was reported.
The rebates are only for the increased value on the improvements from the participating tax entities (such as the county, city, school district, etc…).
Property owners enrolled in the program pay their taxes in full each year and then receive a rebate in the mail from the treasurer’s office, it was reported.
Now that a hearing has been conducted on the amended plan, County Counselor Lee Hendricks has sent letters to all the taxing entities in the county to see if they want to participate in the new plan by signing an interlocal agreement.
In 2018, county officials re-established the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which currently offers five years of tax rebates on residential improvements valued at $15,000 or more and seven years of tax rebates for improvements to commercial properties in the county.
Earlier this year, the commissioners and Hendricks discovered that the wording of the county’s current Neighborhood Revitalization Plan isn’t meant for new construction on empty lots but to repair or replace dilapidated structures in the county.