Iowa Administrative Code
Agency 261 - Economic Development Authority
Part III - Community Development Division
Chapter 22 - Nuisance Property and Abandoned Building Remediation Assistance
Rule 261-22.4 - Program Eligibility, Application Scoring, and Funding Decisions

Universal Citation: IA Admin Code 261-22.4

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024

(1) Program eligibility. To be eligible under the program, an applicant shall meet all of the following requirements:

a. The applicant shall be a city interested in developing a plan to address issues of slum and blight through the remediation or redevelopment of nuisance properties and abandoned buildings.

b. The applicant shall be willing to work with the authority's community development division in the development of the plan described in paragraph 22.4(1)"a."

c. The applicant may request an amount of financial assistance in its application, but shall be willing to accept financial assistance in whatever amount and on whatever terms the authority is able to offer, subject to the availability of funds and the prevailing interest rates at the time of application.

d. The applicant shall have closed all existing contracts under the program before it is eligible to apply for additional financial assistance. The authority may waive this requirement at its discretion for good cause shown. The authority will not waive this requirement if doing so would adversely impact other applicants.

e. The applicant shall submit any information the authority requests in order to evaluate and score the application under the criteria described in this rule.

(2) Application scoring criteria. All applications for financial assistance under the program will be scored according to the following criteria:

a. The financial need of the city. 20 points. For purposes of this criterion, the authority will consider the relative size of the city's budget, the relative scope of the city's problem with nuisance properties and abandoned buildings, and the debt capacity of the city.

b. The extent to which the city suffers from severe blighted areas, including the number of nuisance properties and abandoned buildings in a city relative to its size and the extent to which the successful remediation or redevelopment of the properties included in the project plan will reduce or eliminate such blight. 20 points.

For purposes of this criterion, the authority will consider whether the project plan includes areas meeting standard definitions of blight such as in Iowa Code section 40317. or other state or federal programs. Cities demonstrating more severe blight will receive more points relative to other applicants with less severe blight.

c. The extent to which a city suffers from widespread dilapidated housing stock and the extent to which the successful remediation or redevelopment of the properties included in the project plan will reduce or eliminate such dilapidated housing stock. 20 points.

Cities demonstrating more dilapidated housing stock will receive more points relative to other applicants with less dilapidated housing stock.

d. The extent to which the city has the organizational strength, financial resources, human resources, and community participation necessary to successfully undertake the remediation or redevelopment described in the project plan. 20 points.

e. The number and percentage of low- and moderate-income households in the community. 20 points.

For purposes of this criterion, the authority will consider U.S. Census Bureau data or data collected from a community wide income survey that meets the requirements of the state's community development block grant program. Cities demonstrating a higher percentage of low- and moderate-income households will receive more points relative to other applicants with lower percentages.

(3) Funding decisions. Each application will be scored by staff in the community development division. The scores assigned by all participating staff will be averaged to reflect one numerical score. The application and the averaged numerical score will be referred to the director with a recommended funding decision. The director will make the final funding decision on each application, taking into consideration the amount of available funding, the numerical score of the application, and the funding recommendation of the community development division staff. The director may approve, deny, or defer funding for any application. The director will not approve funding for an application that receives an average score less than 50 points. A score greater than 50 points does not guarantee that the applicant will receive funding. Each applicant will be notified in writing of the funding decision within 60 days of application unless extenuating circumstances exist.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Iowa may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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