Henry County EDC briefs Middletown on business personal-property tax options and demolition grant effort

Corey Murphy of the Henry County Economic Development Corporation told the Middletown Town Council on April 15 that the county is forming a study committee to examine property-tax options created in the most recent legislative session, including county-level options for partial or full elimination of business personal-property taxes. Murphy said the county is also preparing a grant application to fund demolition of abandoned houses.

The presentation identified two next steps for Middletown: Gary Kendall volunteered to represent the town on the tax-options study committee, and Norm Purdue agreed to represent Middletown on meetings related to the demolition-grant effort. Council President Betty Riley directed Town Attorney Joel Harvey and Clerk-Treasurer Drew Cooper to follow up with the property owners in other agenda items, signaling a stepped approach to property and redevelopment questions.

The council did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting. Murphy's briefing described the county's work as exploratory: assembling local representation for a study and pursuing outside grant funding for demolition, which would be subject to competitive grant rules and later local decisions about reuse or redevelopment.

The council's immediate, tangible result from the presentation was only the volunteer appointments to represent Middletown during further discussions and grant planning; any change to tax policy or demolition spending would require additional committee work and future council action.