Council Discusses Housing, Invoices

The Jackson City Council met for nearly two hours in regular session on February 19 to discuss housing efforts, grants, and invoices.

After clicking through the regular business of the meeting, the members of the Council turned their attention to the three major housing projects underway in the city.

 Jacob Wolfe, Director of Disaster Resilience for the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprise (FAHE), provided the Council with information on efforts to develop housing at Turner Court on Highland Avenue, Top Cat Lane on Highway 30 West, and the River North Project in the old Merced Building. 

Wolfe answered several questions from the Council about the three projects, including property acquisition, construction plans, resident ownership, and project timelines.

“These are not free homes,” Wolfe told the Council.  He discussed the process for helping potential residents at the new developments purchase, maintain, and pay taxes on the proposed twenty new homes and apartments.

Wolfe told the City Council that the first bid would “be let” in the coming week and that he expected to see the first work on the Turner Court site within the next month.  He estimated that the home, when completed, would have an average value of $200,000 each and would add to the tax base for the city and county, as well as local schools.

He urged anyone interested in applying for the homes to visit housingcantwait.org for more information.

The Council discussed requests for payment for invoices submitted by several entities completing work for the city.  All the invoices were approved, but one request drew the Council's interest and debate. 

Members of the Council questioned the details of the grant the city received to replace sidewalks along Washington Avenue up the hill from Main Street.

“I have questions on that,” Councilmember Tommy Noble told Mayor Thomas.  Noble and others questioned the cost of the sidewalk.  Thomas explained that the $14,000 invoice was for design work already completed on the project.

“I would like to know what we are getting,” Councilman Steve McIntosh told Mayor Thomas.

He and other members suggested that the city seek “more detailed invoices” to explain the amounts of money expended.

“I’ve got serious problems with that amount of money being spent on the sidewalk from the foot of that hill to the top of that hill,” Noble said.

The Council discussed the need to require companies to provide an itemized list of services provided to the city for all future billings.

Jennifer McIntosh, Associate Director of Community & Economic Development for the Kentucky River Area Development District, told the Council that “contractors will run from you” if that was required.

“You are going to become an unworkable city,” she warned, and advised the city that the contractors were following accepted practice and industry standards.

The Council, after a lengthy and intense discussion, approved the payment of the invoice but asked that the city seek “detailed invoices” for all future payments.

In other action, Mayor Thomas announced that a “baby box” had been installed on the Sycamore Street side of the Jackson Police Department, but was not operational pending testing. 

Mayor Thomas provided Councilmembers with an update on the success of the city's stray cat program, instituted several months ago.  Thomas told the council that the West Liberty Veterinary Clinic has spayed and neutered many cats and released them back into the community.  She noted that many of the cats had been adopted after sterilization.   

The Council, with all members present except Kenneth Patrick, approved the minutes from the previous meeting, the bills, and reports from various city agencies.