By JONATHAN SNYDER
Two payment in lieu of taxes agreements relating to the proposed Bluffton Family Townhomes and Bluffton Senior Apartments projects were approved by the Common Council Tuesday.
City Attorney Tony Crowell stated that while an ordinance allowing the city to enter PILOT agreements was adopted on July 17, there needs to be a separate ordinance for each PILOT agreement they enter. One ordinance for each housing project was approved by the council.
Trent Claybaugh of Gorman and Company also provided another update about the Bluffton Family Townhomes Project. Originally called the Wilson Park Apartments, Bluffton Family Townhomes will now see only 40 units for rent. Negotiations on a small parcel of land south of the proposed site will not be completed in time for the project’s required submission for Rental Housing Tax Credits.
While negotiations have been fruitful for that parcel, according to Claybaugh, he acknowledged that the quick turnaround needed for the project’s submission made for a tight deadline for striking a deal. The townhouses will be a mix between one and two-story configurations. Claybaugh noted that the percentages of homes available for different levels below area median income rates have not changed.
Forty-six units will be available at Bluffton Senior Apartments. Claybaugh presented a 3-D render of the proposed site but noted that the look of the site could still change. In particular, the council briefly discussed a gabled roof for the site but did not make an official request for the change.
Additionally, the council also fielded a discussion from Fire Chief Don Craig about using incoming Local Option Income Tax funds for Fire Department needs. Craig stated that an estimated $90,000 is coming to Bluffton in response to the creation of the Fire Protection Territory in January. Craig stated that previously, LOIT funds were used to regularly cover expenses for new firefighter gear as it phases out of date over ten years.
Craig stated that while the territory’s formation has helped generate revenue, there are still struggles in paying for necessary equipment, such as radios, apparatuses and different trucks. Since those LOIT funds were acquired through the territory, Council member Scott Mentzer believed that the $90,000 should go to the territory and requested that the council remember Craig’s statements when the time to budget comes.
Council Member Rick Elwell stated that inflation has not been kind to anybody, and Mentzer agreed that another conversation about the territory was needed.
“I’m not saying it’s anybody’s fault … (but) the reality is the funding mechanisms that are set up for fire are not sufficient,” Council member Chandler Gerber said. “This $90,000 in LOIT money is great, but it’s sort of a needle in a haystack of what we actually need to find to solve the problem. Barring something unforeseen in a great direction, this is going to have to be reworked at some point to some degree to be able to get the funding corrected.”
jonathan@news-banner.com
