(a) The following residents of the City of Fairlawn shall be eligible to receive the reimbursement of funds through the administration of the Residential Housing Assistance Board.
(1) Owner-occupants of residential property constructed within the City of Fairlawn on or before January 1, 2000, or residential property which is five years beyond the certificate of occupancy for the residential structure.
(2) Owner-occupants of two-family or three-family residential property constructed within the City of Fairlawn on or before January 1, 2000, and/or are ten years beyond its certificate of occupancy for the residential structure.
(b) An eligible owner-occupant may receive reimbursement after installation and receiving inspection approval for implementation of water control devices installed on or after July 1, 2003, within the subject real estate for the lesser of 50% of the reasonable and necessary cost of the material and installation of said flood control devices up to a maximum of $3,000.00, which are intended to prevent stormwater or wastewater flooding, including, but not limited to: backflow preventers; sump pumps; sump pump back-up battery systems; the disconnecting of storm drains from sanitary drains; downspouts and gutters; and surface mounding in flood plain areas constructed pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 1460 of this Code; and other related items including surface drainage devices such as trench drains and interior perimeter floor trench drains connected to a sump pump which empties into a stormwater sewer or exterior surface drainage device.
(c) Priority for the installation of water control devices is:
(1) Backflow preventers;
(2) Sump pumps and sump pump backup battery systems;
(3) Disconnecting of storm drains from sanitary sewers;
(4) Surface drainage devices such as mounding and trench drains; and
(5) Other flood control-related items.
(d) The following items shall not be considered flood control devices:
(1) Landscaping other than surface mounding in floodplain areas;
(2) Basement wall waterproofing, interior or exterior; and
(3) Cleaning gutters and downspouts.
(e) An eligible owner-occupant may also receive reimbursement after installation and receiving inspection approval from a licensed electrician for installation of electrical panels, wiring, or other electrical equipment which installation was recommended due to safety concerns and which are installed on or after January 1, 2023, for the lesser of 50% of the reasonable and necessary cost of the material and installation of said equipment or devices, up to a maximum of $3,000.00.
(f) An eligible owner-occupant is entitled to reimbursement for up to a total of $3,000.00 during the life of this program (for all items combined).
(g) The Council of the City of Fairlawn shall each year appropriate funds it determines are available for said program, and the Residential Housing Assistance Board shall be limited in its power to approve reimbursements to approve the eligible residents by the amount appropriated for this purpose by Fairlawn's City Council. The Residential Housing Assistance Board shall formulate rules, regulations, and forms to implement the payment of the appropriations of Fairlawn's City Council for this program.
(1) The rules and regulations formulated by the Residential Housing Assistance Board shall be presented to Council for review and final approval before implementation.
(2) The Residential Housing Assistance Board shall receive applications from eligible residents. The applications received shall be considered by the aforementioned Board for eligibility, priority, and payment.
(3) The Board shall give priority to eligible residents who are over the age of 65; persons receiving government disability payments, permanently or totally disabled under the age of 65 and entitled to the homestead exemption provided by Ohio Law; a surviving spouse entitled to the homestead exemption provided by Ohio Law, or whose household income is at or below federal poverty standards. Applicants may volunteer to provide the foregoing eligibility information, but are not required to do so if they are not concerned about priority.
(h) The decision of the Residential Housing Assistance Board shall be final, and the resident shall have the right to appeal said decision by the method provided by the Ohio Revised Code for the appeal of administrative decisions.
(i) Inspections required by the Residential Housing Assistance Board shall be performed by the County of Summit Department of Environmental Services or any other entity so designated by the City of Fairlawn Administration.
(1) Inspections of water control devices implemented and installed prior to the passage of this section may be performed by a qualified employee of the City of Fairlawn designated by the Mayor of the City of Fairlawn.
(Ord. Passed 2022-042A. Passed 11-21-22.)