SIDNEY — A new neighborhood revitalization program will now be available to help clusters of adjacent Sidney homeowners with funding for exterior improvements.

The Sidney City Council adopted an ordinance on the Neighborhood Pride Grant program Monday evening after several months of work on the program.

The goal of the program is to help with the exterior improvements of homes in Sidney neighborhoods. Examples of these improvements include landscaping; exterior painting — historic homes must use age appropriate color pallet; porch repair; sidewalk repair; outdoor lighting; and/or planter boxes.

The Neighborhood Pride Grant is open to all homeowners in Sidney. Funding will be derived from a combination of city of Sidney funds and donations from private entities. It is a competitive, 1 to 1 matching grant for exterior improvements, said Community Service Director Barbara Dulworth, with up to a maximum of $1,000 per dwelling.

To qualify for Neighborhood Pride Grant funds, clusters — defined as a minimum of three and a maximum of five neighboring properties — of property owners shall submit a pre-application on forms provided by the community development department.

The pre-application requirements includes the following:

• Property must be located within Sidney corporation limits;

• Own the property for which the exterior improvements are being proposed;

• Be a part of a cluster of properties located within the same ward;

• Identify a representative of the cluster.

There are 18 target areas in Sidney for the grant. If the applicants meet the pre-application requirements, city staff will request further information about:

• The location within a particular target zone;

• Proximity of houses within the cluster;

• The number of participating properties;

• Teamwork on projects;

• The plan to sustain momentum.

After Mayor Mike Barhorst asked at the previous meeting for the ward boundaries be revised to allow adjacent properties that may be located across from each other but not in the same ward to qualify in the same cluster, Dulworth said city staff reviewed the ward boundary proximity. Staff made adjustments to the ordinance to include neighboring properties opposed to a particular ward they are located within.

Council voted to adopt the amended ordinance.

In other business, City Council also adopted three resolutions and they are:

• To confirm the reappointment of Dmitri Williams to the Shelby County Metropolitan Housing Authority for a term to expire June 10, 2026;

• To appoint Rick Pugh to the Airport Advisory Committee for a term to expire May 31, 2024;

• To appoint Richard Kennett to the Airport Advisory Committee for a term to expire May 31, 2024.