OSWEGO – At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Planning and Development Committee, Mayor Billy Barlow requested favorable consideration from the Common Council to address vacant and blighted property in the city.
The mayor would like to establish a Blight Reduction Loan Program.
It would allow the city to repair property cited for exterior code violations and bring the property back into compliance with city rules and law.
The cost associated with the repair work would be charged to the property owner’s tax bill with a surcharge and interest, to allow the city to establish a revolving loan repair fund to administer and continue the program with no additional cost to the taxpayers, the mayor explained.
The city will use $44,000 from a New York State grant to start the program.
The program would be incorporated into the City Code section that addresses vacant building.
Private contractors will be hired to perform the needed repair work.
The committee sent the mayor’s request to set a public hearing for this proposed local law to the full council for consideration.
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When did the City of Oswego get into the loan business? Isn’t that what banks are for in the first place