Butler County program expands lead‑safe home work under state grant

Bob Didion, housing program coordinator for SELF, told the Butler County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 that the county’s Lead Safe Ohio work targets lead hazards—primarily windows and doors—in homes built before 1978 and requires contractors to meet full clearance dust levels before a job is complete.

The program is funded through a statewide package enacted in House Bill 45; Didion said Butler County’s allocation is approximately $2,075,000 plus a later $180,000 award, which county staff and presenters later described as about $2.3 million total for the county. SELF has used licensing and in‑house clearances to reduce third‑party costs, the coordinator said.

Didion described health effects of lead exposure—reduced childhood IQ, learning and behavioral problems, hearing and kidney damage, and reproductive impacts—and explained that the program uses renovation, repair and painting (RRP) work but is requiring full clearances. He cited current clearance targets of 10 micrograms per square foot for interior floors, 40 for exterior floors, and 100 for sills and troughs, and said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is lowering some dust thresholds beginning in January, which will increase contractor workload to meet stricter standards.

The coordinator walked commissioners through the program timeline: kickoff Jan. 6, 2023; application in February; a signed grant in late February 2024 with the Ohio Department of Development; and multiple homes remediated since May. He said SELF has completed nine homes with two more expected to finish soon, maintains eight applications on a wait list, and projects total grant spending at about $634,000 so far and over $700,000 by the end of December if current jobs complete.

Didion highlighted several project examples: one six‑unit building received window replacements and other work, with the property owner contributing roughly $150,000 while the program invested about $350,000. That owner also signed a contract committing the units to low‑income families for three years, Didion said; when commissioners asked how the county would enforce that occupancy commitment, Didion said a contract drafted by the program’s attorney exists but he could not yet identify ongoing monitoring mechanisms.

Commissioners praised the program’s outcomes but raised concerns about prioritizing scarce funds. One commissioner asked whether grants should use a sliding scale that requires greater owner contribution for investment properties to stretch public dollars toward seniors and households with the greatest need. Didion responded that some cases involved Ohio Department of Health lead orders that predated recent purchases and that private loans or purchaser arrangements sometimes enabled acquisition prior to remediation.

Didion also described a new referral partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s lead clinic to identify families in Butler County without violating HIPAA. He said SELF plans to continue lead abatement work beyond this grant using Community Development Block Grant funds or other sources.

The presentation concluded with director and commissioner expressions of appreciation and a request for staff to return with proposals or policy language if the board wants formal adoption of the fiscal or program policies discussed.