At the July 22 Finance Committee meeting, Treasurer’s office staff member Kevin Mackey said the county has not responded to city requests to discuss renewal of a residential LERDA program. Mackey told the committee he has tried to arrange meetings and has not received a response from county officials.

Mackey said the city currently is the only jurisdiction within the county administering a residential LERDA, and that county officials have expressed concern privately about perceived unfairness when the city offers such an abatement while other jurisdictions do not. “I just keep pestering them to try and get them to discuss a residential LERDA with us,” Mackey said.

Councilor Liz Meeley said she wants a more robust city-level discussion of LERTA/LERDA and other incentives tied to redevelopment authority efforts. Staff said more residential abatement applications have been filed this year than in prior years; Mackey estimated roughly six to a dozen applications have come across his desk this year, though he did not provide an exact tally in the meeting.

Committee members discussed coordinating among community development, grants staff and council to assemble existing funding and programs that could be combined with tax abatements to encourage longer-term residency and investment. Meeley and other councilors asked staff to prepare documentation on recent LERDA applications and the scope of work for those projects for further committee or council review.

No formal action was recorded in the meeting; staff said they will follow up with the county and prepare materials for council consideration.