The Franklin City Council on Feb. 19 voted to authorize Mayor Barnett to apply for an Owner‑Occupied Rehabilitation (OOR) grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, following a public hearing and staff presentation.

The OOR program, presented by Whitney Kelling of ARA Resources on behalf of Franklin’s Community Development staff, is designed to help low‑ to moderate‑income homeowners pay for limited exterior repairs — including roof replacement, HVAC, water heaters and ADA accessibility work. Kelling said the maximum award request is $350,000; the Franklin Development Corporation provided a $35,000 local match, creating a total program fund of $385,000 as proposed to the council. Kelling told the council the program generally limits assistance to exterior work to avoid triggering lead‑paint rules and that the grant administrator fee is proposed at $28,000, the 8% cap for Community Development Block Grant programs.

Kelling described income eligibility criteria and the planned selection process: after an award the city will take formal applications, verify income and other documentation and score applicants with a matrix that gives extra points for certain protected groups (veterans, people with disabilities, aging‑in‑place households and single‑parent heads of household). She said award notifications were expected in March and that the city would have until September 2026 to complete work if awarded.

Toby of ARA, who identified himself as the firm’s executive director, explained how contracts and inspections would work: the contractor will issue a one‑year warranty to the homeowner, a HUD‑licensed inspector will certify that work meets program parameters, and the city — as grantee — will sign program documents and pay contractors from grant funds. He said the program team has used similar federal programs for years and has completed hundreds of homes.

Council members pressed staff on practical issues including the per‑home limit (Kelling said the cap is $25,000 per home), how the city will handle procurement (competitive public bidding of scopes of work), whether the city would be contractually liable for contractor performance (staff said warranties are between homeowner and contractor, with the city signing program documents as grantee), and referrals to other local resources for interior repairs. Kelling said the city maintains resource lists (human services, United Way) and may refer homeowners when needs exceed the OOR scope.

Following the hearing and Q&A, a councilmember moved to approve the resolution authorizing the mayor to apply for the OOR grant; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote.

The next procedural step: if the state awards the grant in March, council will receive the finer details of the program and will have the option to accept or decline the award and review final contract language before committing city funds.