Wooster City Council on May 19 voted to join Wayne County and partner cities in a countywide grant application to the Ohio Department of Development for Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) funds (CDBG/HOME federal funding) and approved an agreement with Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority for program administration.

Jonathan (city staff) described the CHIP program as a long‑running, competitive grant that provides grants and forgivable mortgages for emergency and whole‑home repairs so low‑ and moderate‑income residents can remain in their homes. “We would like to utilize that in order to make emergency home repairs and whole home real rehabilitations available to families that need them,” Jonathan said. He said the city and county partnership improves the application’s competitiveness and that the state has already been allocated federal HOME/CDBG funds the partnership seeks to draw down.

City Council voted to suspend the rules and adopt Resolution 2025‑40, authorizing the mayor to enter a partnership agreement with Wayne County and the city of Orrville to apply for the CHIP funds. Council then adopted Resolution 2025‑41 to authorize an agreement with the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority for administrative consulting services if the grant is awarded. Council members said passing the measures that evening would help meet application timelines and move the request quickly to county officials.

Jonathan told council the program aims to tackle about 30 projects countywide if awarded and that partners will provide client support and application management. Both measures passed on the same night after motions to suspend rules and with unanimous roll‑call votes.