News Flash

Building Improvement Grant Cost Share Program 

ITB 2023-24

The City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency (hereinafter referred to as “the CRA”) hereby solicit applications for the Building Improvement Grant Cost Share Program for projects located within the City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency Areas. The Program is intended to encourage the redevelopment of blighted residential and commercial properties by assisting those who are attempting to improve properties which are most in need of rehabilitation or remodeling; do not necessarily depend upon grant funds to move forward; and which have a greater probability of successful completion.  To be eligible for consideration projects must be located in a City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency Tax Increment District and advance the goals outlined in the CRA plan.

The program shall be publicly advertised and accepted by posted deadlines in two cycles. The CRA reserves the right to apportion funds between the two cycles as it sees fit. Applications, if deemed complete and eligible, are evaluated and ranked based upon competitive criteria and will be forwarded to the CRA board for funding consideration. Awards are subject to the availability of funds within the specific Tax Increment District Fund (i.e. South, North and Central) where the project resides. The CRA reserves the right to request additional information and advertise properties receiving incentives. 

Applicants interested in participating in the program must submit a completed and signed application along with supporting documentation to in a sealed envelope to:

City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency

2022-23 Building Improvement Cost Share

Attention: Sunni Krantz, Interim City Clerk 201 North Second Street Palatka, FL 32177

Program documents and applications can be downloaded from the City of Palatka website at https://palatka-fl.gov/bids.aspx or copies may be requested at City Hall, 201 N. 2^nd Street, during normal business hours. All questions must be submitted in writing to Jonathan Griffith, Assistant City Manager at jgriffith@palatka-fl.gov. Questions will be answered in the form of an addendum posted on the City of Palatka website. 

Application Cycle

Advertisement Date:                           December 27, 2023

Applications Available:                       https://palatka-fl.gov/bids.aspx 

Deadline for Questions:                      March 2, 2024 

Application Deadline:                         March 26, 2024 at 2 p.m.

Submittals will be opened as soon as possible after the submission deadline. 

Building Improvement Grant Cost Share Program

The City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency (hereinafter referred to as “the CRA”) hereby solicit applications for the Building Improvement Grant Cost Share Program for projects located within the City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency Areas. The Program is intended to encourage the redevelopment of blighted residential and commercial properties by assisting those who are attempting to improve properties which are most in need of rehabilitation or remodeling; do not necessarily depend upon grant funds to move forward; and which have a greater probability of successful completion.  To be eligible for consideration projects must be located in a City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency Tax Increment District and advance the goals outlined in the CRA plan.

The program shall be publicly advertised and accepted by posted deadlines in two cycles. The CRA reserves the right to apportion funds between the two cycles as it sees fit. Applications, if deemed complete and eligible, are evaluated, and ranked based upon competitive criteria and will be forwarded to the CRA board for funding consideration. Awards are subject to the availability of funds within the specific Tax Increment District Fund (i.e., South, North and Central) where the project resides. The CRA reserves the right to request additional information and advertise properties receiving incentives. 

To obtain additional information please view the City of Palatka website at www.palatka-fl.gov  or contact Jonathan Griffith, Assistant City Manger at 386 329 0100 or jgriffith@palatka-fl.gov.
 

1. Program Description

The Building Improvement Grant Cost Share Program is intended to encourage the redevelopment of blighted residential and commercial properties by assisting those who are attempting to improve properties which are most in need of rehabilitation or remodeling; do not necessarily depend upon grant funds to move forward; and which have a greater probability of successful completion. The owner will have ten (10) days from notification of award to execute the grant agreement and up to one (1) year from the date of execution of the grant agreement to complete the work. The grant program is only applicable to new work and is not retroactive. Work completed prior to grant award on the property may not be considered as match or for grant funding. 

The following covenants will define the use of Tax Increment Funds in a reimbursement method. Cost share funds shall be reimbursed up to fifty percent (50%) of the total project cost to a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). Approved projects will receive reimbursement at one hundred percent (100%) completion of the project scope. Funds will be disbursed by a check payable to the applicant after the following:

• Submission of all receipts and required documentation to the Project Manager, including:
  • contractor invoicing and evidence of payment of funds; 
  • release of lien letters from contractors and suppliers;
  • applicant must honor contractual obligations to contractor; hold harmless agreements must be executed; and
  • confirmation that the property is assessed and subject to ad valorem taxation.
• Certification of completion by the Chief Building Official and/or closed permit reports to sufficiently document the work has been completed in accordance with all applicable codes.
• Verification that any additional criteria added by contract has been completed as proposed in a satisfactory and professional manner.
• Certification of completion of grant project by the Project Manager and submission to the Palatka City Finance Director. 
• Issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, if applicable
• Proof of applicable and appropriate insurance of the renovated property

Upon approval of a grant, the applicant and any affected contractor will be required to sign a Grant Agreement and a Release and Hold Harmless Agreement with the City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency, as permitted by the laws of the State of Florida. Grant funds are considered taxable income and recipients have a reporting obligation to the Internal Revenue Service. Applicants are encouraged to consult with a tax professional on the tax implications of receiving an award prior to making an application. Grant funds can only be used towards building improvements and may not be used for administration expenses.

Application Cycle

The CRA shall only accept and review sealed applications during an advertised cycle beginning 30 days prior to and up to each application deadline.  Applications received prior or after the herein stated deadlines will be returned to the applicant. 

1. Eligibility

To be eligible for consideration projects must be located in a Tax Increment District; advance the goals outlined in the CRA plan and meet other minimum eligibility criteria. For a project to be eligible it must:

• require extensive repairs to either obtain a Certificate of Occupancy, address code violations, construction, demolition, and/or address visual blight (land clearing is not an eligible grant expense);
• be located within a Tax Increment district;
• be the subject of a complete application; 
• parcel ID has not received tax increment funding in the past ten (10) years per the past incentive award date;
• receive a minimum score of 70 or greater; and
• be taxable property (non-taxable property proposed to be placed on the tax roll as a result of the project shall be eligible for funds).

1. Application Process

1. Applicants interested in participating in the program must submit a completed and signed application along with supporting documentation to in a sealed envelope to: 

City of Palatka Community Redevelopment Agency

Attention: City Clerk

201 North Second Street 

Palatka, FL 32177

Submittals will be opened as soon as possible after the submission deadline.

2. Applications must include:

• contact information (i.e. primary contact, phone number, email, mailing address);
• proof of ownership, option to purchase or agent authorization;
• project description including: scope of work, construction estimate, schedule by trade and design plans (as needed);
• rendering of any exterior work or changes included in the scope of work. 
• proof of financial ability to fund the applicant’s portion of the project;
• current taxable value per Putnam County Property Appraiser and estimated taxable value at project completion;
• acknowledgement applicant has read and understands grant requirements; 
• verification of matching funds (i.e. loan approval, demonstrated savings, etc.); and 
• additional information as requested.

3. Applications will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility and submitted to the Tax Increment District Advisory Committee for evaluation. Applications deemed to be incomplete, or ineligible will not be considered. Applications submitted during the designated application period shall expire upon the ending of the fiscal year.   

Appeals must be filed with the City of Palatka City Clerk at 201 North Second Street, Palatka, FL 32177 and will be considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting. 

In the event the recipient transfers, sells, conveys, or in any other manner divests itself of ownership of the property which is the subject of the Grant within three (3) years following the completion of the repairs/renovations which are funded by the Grant, the entire amount of the Grant funds shall be repaid to the City.  This obligation of repayment shall be one which runs with the land and shall be evidenced by a recorded instrument which shall be satisfied upon repayment of the Grant or upon expiration of the three (3) year look-back period.  For purposes of this term, “completion” shall be defined as that date when a certificate of occupancy is issued or when all required building permits obtained in association with the repairs/renovations have been “finalized”.  

1. Selection and Evaluation Criteria

The CRA board shall appoint a committee of citizens and business owners to review and rank applications for recommendation to the CRA. The evaluation will occur in accordance with the evaluation criteria as soon as practical at a time and place to be determined but not more than 30 days after the deadline. The criteria that the CRA shall use in evaluating proposals include, but are not limited to;

I hereby acknowledge that I have read, understand and agree to the terms of this document and that I am authorized to execute this Agreement.

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