The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Butler will not be receiving any money from a state grant that is administered by Butler County.
“The county seat sits in the city of Butler. Time and again we went and asked for help and yet the county continues to turn their back on the city. It’s just frustrating. We’ve always been hearing that they’re going to help but they’ve done nothing. I’ve had meetings with them too but they’ve done nothing,”Butler City Mayor Tom Donaldson said during a Redevelopment Authority meeting Thursday.
The city was awarded about $150,000 last year through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) fund to help low-income homeowners with repairs.
This year, due to new state regulations and a decreased amount of money available, the Butler County Commissioners chose to apply for an estimated $200,000 to $240,000 to be awarded to the Butler County Housing Authority.
Butler County Commissioner Kim Geyer said that a decision was made with a vision for economic development in mind.
“We had to prioritize our applications as did all counties and submit one application,” Geyer said. “What was the one application that was the top priority? That’s how we made our judgment based on the criteria set by the state.”
A new program this fall called the Housing Trust Fund could provide another possibility for the city to receive state housing funds. Those funds are distributed directly by the state to non-profit applicants.
Written By: Ryan Saeler
Photo by Ilweranta
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