SIDNEY — Sidney City Council adopted a resolution Monday evening showing support of a Brownfield Remediation grant application the Shelby County Land Reutilization Corporation (also known as the Land Bank) intends to submit for funds to help pay for the demolition of the Wagner Building on Fair Road.

The city of Sidney and the Land Bank are partnering in the shared goal, said Community Development Director Barbara Dulworth, to remove the blighting influence of the Wagner Ware property at 440 Fair Road in Sidney. The Land Bank requested City Council’s support for the Ohio Department of Development Brownfield Remediation Program grant application which the Land Bank intends to submit.

Dulworth noted the state of Ohio included an earmark of $1 million to the city of Sidney in the 2021-2022 budget for demolition and remediation of the Wagner Ware property. The city of Sidney has committed $500,000 to the project and Shelby County Board of Commissioners has committed $250,000, she said. With an estimated cost of approximately $4 million to complete the demolition and remediation and make the site development-ready, the Brownfield Remediation Program would provide the necessary funds to complete the project.

In other business, council was also introduced to an ordinance to amend the guidelines of the REVIVE “Renovate, Invest, Energize” program. City Council adopted legislation for the new program designed to incentivize the purchase and renovation of existing single family homes in October 2021.

Since its adoption, city staff developed a recommended revision to the initial guidelines. These revisions, Law Director Jeff Amick explained, will primarily allow Sidney’s city manager to waive certain financial obligations qualifying Sidney homeowners owe, without prior council action, as a further means to incentivize qualified homeowners to take advantage of and participate in the REVIVE Program. The guidelines would enable the city manager to waive collection of financial obligations in a maximum aggregate amount of $5,000 per household/duplex, and to a maximum annual aggregate amount of $50,000, Amick said. The waiver of any financial obligation(s) in excess of the these amounts would require prior council approval.

This ordinance will return to council for further consideration at its Jan. 10, 2022, meeting.

City Council also adopted three end-of-year housekeeping ordinances Monday evening, and they are:

• To make an appropriation for expenditures for the year ending on Dec. 31, 2022;

• To make supplemental appropriations for 2021;

• To enact a sections of an ordinance regarding employees pay tables and classification plan and declaring it an emergency so that it will take effect immediately.

In final business, council members went into an executive session to discuss the appointment of a public official and expenditures of public funds to be made in connection with an economic development project. No action was taken by council members after they emerged from the executive session and went back into the regular session.

Vice Mayor Steve Wagner was absent Monday and was excused by City Council.