Fayette County approves resolution to pursue owner-occupied rehab grant pending council match

Mike Kleinpeter of Kleinpeter Consulting told the Fayette County Commissioners the county is eligible to apply for an Owner-Occupied Rehab grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs worth up to $500,000 and that the program requires a local match. Kleinpeter said the grant would provide direct assistance to qualifying homeowners for repairs such as roofs, furnaces, air conditioning, water heaters, electrical work and ADA entrance ramps.

Kleinpeter told commissioners the grant requires a local match he estimated at about $57,000 and that the maximum grant per house is $25,000. He also outlined household income eligibility thresholds — for example, about $45,450 for a one-person household and about $64,900 for a four-person household — and said radon testing is required for participating homes; if radon levels exceed 4 pCi/L, mitigation is required and that cost may count toward the $25,000 cap.

With the application deadline approaching, Kleinpeter asked commissioners to pass a resolution to allow the county to apply and to hold a public hearing. Commissioners discussed timeline and competitiveness and emphasized the need for resident letters documenting need. Commissioner [unnamed] moved to approve Resolution 25 R 3 on the condition the county council approves the required match; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Kleinpeter said a public hearing on the program is scheduled Friday at 1 p.m. in the same meeting room, and that staff would seek letters of support or individual resident requests (by email or in person) to strengthen the application. He also said if the county submits and is not funded it may reapply in a later quarter.