[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
This Chapter shall be known as the "Community Development Department
Grant Program" and may be cited as such and may be referred to in
this Chapter as the "code."
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
This Chapter is established to serve as a "matching grant program"
for awarding small matching grants for property improvement projects
on a specific basis and for specific improvement types, to specific
applicants, all pursuant to the final program guidelines and parameters
in this Chapter. A grant under this Chapter will be awarded as a reimbursement
for construction costs for exterior improves described herein.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
The Grant Program Board is hereby established to consist of
the following members: the Director of Community Development, the
Building Official, and the Codes Enforcement Officer. Additionally,
two (2) Aldermen shall serve on the Grant Program Board in the sole
determination of the Mayor. The Mayor and City Administrator may remove
any Grant Program Board member and replace the same with either a
member of City staff or a member of the Board of Aldermen, in accordance
with the removed member's affiliation. A minimum of three (3) members
of the Grant Program Board must be present to constitute a quorum.
A simple majority of votes in favor of the application will deem the
application approved. Failure to obtain a simple majority of votes
will deem the application denied.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
Applications under this Chapter will be accepted from January
1 until September 31 for every year the Community Development Department
Grant Program is funded, beginning on January 1, 2023. Applications
for participation in the Community Development Department Grant Program
are available at City Hall and on the City's website. There shall
be separate applications for residential and commercial applicants.
Contractor, material, and/or scope of work estimates must be submitted
with an application. All grant applicants must certify the accuracy
and truth of all documents submitted to the City. Anyone making false
or misleading statements or submitting false or misleading documents
may be subject to legal action.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
A. The
Grant Program Board shall consider the following factors in determining
approval or denial of an application:
1. The property's location in the City;
2. The feasibility of completion of the improvements;
3. The age and condition of the property;
4. The overall benefit to the neighborhood and City as a whole.
B. The
following factors may be taken into consideration by the Grant Program
Board:
1. If the applicant is sixty-five (65) years of age and older;
2. Disabled or blind applicants;
3. First time home buyer applicants;
4. Households at or below the Federal poverty level for that year;
5. Active and retired military applicants;
6. Single parent households;
7. If the applicant qualifies for Head of Household Federal tax status.
C. To
be considered for a grant, the Cass County Assessor's appraised full
market value of the primary building, not including land, cannot exceed
one hundred forty thousand dollars ($140,000.00). Only one (1) grant
per property every five (5) years is allowed, unless waived by a majority
vote of the Grant Program Board.
D. For
a commercial property owner to be eligible for Community Development
Department Grant Program funds, the owner must live in the 64701 zip
code. The improvement must be in conformance with the City of Harrisonville
Municipal Code and other applicable building codes.
E. Any
code enforcement violations must be corrected within ninety (90) working
days of notification of the violation, or a grant under this Chapter
will be forfeited unless successfully appealed to the Codes Enforcement
Officer or the Building Official.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
A grant under this Chapter shall not exceed twenty-five percent
(25%) of the total project cost, up to a maximum grant amount of two
thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00).
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
There is a strong preference for Community Development Department
Grant Program funds to be used to benefit owner-occupied residential
properties. Therefore, seventy-five percent (75%) of the Community
Development Department Grant Program funds shall be available for
residential properties, with the remaining twenty-five percent (25%)
available to commercial properties.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
A. Eligible
residential improvements, include, but are not limited to:
1. Exterior painting/siding improvements;
2. Exterior door/window repair or replacement;
6. Front-facing concrete work;
11. Trash container screening.
B. Eligible
commercial improvements include:
1. Trash container/dumpster screening;
2. Removal of non-conforming signage and sign structures.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
After grant approval, grantees must complete the project within one
hundred eighty (180) days of the grant approval, and the project must
show progress within sixty (60) days of grant approval, or the grant
may be forfeited. If the project requires a building permit or any
other permit, the applicant may seek waiver of said permitting fees.
Upon completion of the project, applicant must submit qualified project
invoices and proof of payment in the form of cancelled checks and/or
credit card receipts to the Community Development Department. All
grantees must certify the truth and accuracy of all documents submitted
to the City. Community Development Department staff will schedule
a post-project inspection to verify project completion and confirm
no exterior code violations are present. Upon the submission and inspection
described herein, the City will issue a check to the applicant in
the appropriate amount within the normal accounts payable schedule.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
A. The
Community Development Department Grant Program shall be funded each
year from the following sources:
1. The Building Division permit revenue surplus;
2. The Code Enforcement abatement recoup revenue surplus;
3. The Building Division expenses savings;
B. Exact
funding will be determined yearly by the Board of Aldermen.
[Ord. No. 3597, 8-15-2022]
If the Grant Program Board denies an application, the applicant
may, within thirty (30) days of the denial file with the City Clerk
a written appeal to the City Administrator, or their designee, specifying
the grounds thereof. In acting on the appeal, the City Administrator,
or their designee, may overturn the Grant Program Board's decision.