Created in the FY 2024-2025 State Budget bill, the new Single-Family Housing Tax Credit program provides $50 million a year in ten-year tax credits, for four years, to incentivize the construction of new single-family homes for Ohio’s growing workforce.

How it works: Established as a public-private partnership, the Single-Family Housing Tax Credit will bring together local government entities with a project development team (homebuilders, investors, and realtors) to identify the location and scope of construction of single-family homes in a community.

The local government entity and the development team submit a project proposal and application for tax credits to help finance the construction of the houses. Applications will be scored based on the criteria outlined in the Allocation Plan and tax credits will be competitively awarded. The tax credits may then be claimed over a ten-year period. The homes will be sold to qualified Ohio homebuyers at the construction cost.

Eligible Entities: Local government entity (county, township, municipal corporations, or regional planning commissions, community improvement corporations, economic development corporations, county land reutilization corporations or port authorities) along with a development team may submit an application.

Calculating the Tax Credit: The amount of tax credit awarded will be the appraised value of the home (after construction) minus the total cost of construction.

For more information, contact: Single Family Tax Credit Program

Congratulations to The Downtown Exchange! You’ve already impacted downtown Zanesville and the future is bright! Thanks to OhioSE and JobsOhio for their help making this dream a reality, and thanks to all who attended the ribbon cutting! We are proud to be home to the first completed Vibrant Communities project in SE Ohio!

                                J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio speaks.                                     Katy Farber, OhioSE.                                                             Mayor Don Mason.

                                                                   Port Authority Exec. Director, Matt Abbott              State Sen. Al Landis presents Dana Matz with                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            proclamation.

In order to meet growing customer demand, Precision Welding and Installation has recently announced plans to construct a new building in Hopewell Township of Muskingum County.

PWI has been delivering metal fabrication to its customers for more than a decade. The company specializes in the fabrication of structural steel, structural steel erection, mechanical equipment installation and industrial maintenance.

PWI will make a fixed assessment investment of $600,000 and will eventually create 10 new jobs while retaining six. This investment includes $400,000 for the building and $200,000 for additional machinery and welding equipment.

JobsOhio supported the project with a $25,000 JobsOhio Inclusion Grant and OhioSE assisted the company with the grant process. The Muskingum County Port Authority will provide ongoing local support to the business in the areas of workforce, financing and incentives.

“We are fortunate to continue to see innovators and entrepreneurs thrive in Muskingum County,” said Matt Abbott, port authority director. “It is exciting to see Precision Welding & Installation’s growth and success.”  

Join RD Energy on Tuesday, June 20th at 10:00 a.m. for a webinar designed to answer timely electric questions for businesses in our community.

 This webinar will focus on the following:

1. Why are electric utility generation rates rising so much beginning June 2023?
2. Electric Buying 101: What are you paying and for how long?
3. Wholesale electric and natural gas market update…. What in the world is going on?
4. How to find the best electric and natural gas price for your business….TIMING is everything. How do you find the right time?

Click HERE to Register. 

Muskingum County has been awarded technical assistance funding for future projects funded by the $500 million Appalachian Community Grant Program, but there is still much work to be done, said Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority Executive Director Matt Abbott. The Port Authority was the lead applicant for a number of applications across the county, although Muskingum University applied for a grant on its own.

The funds are the first of three grant cycles for projects “designed to bring about transformational change and be a catalyst for future development by providing generational investments in the Appalachian region,” according to the guidelines published by the Ohio Department of Development, which will oversee the grant program.

Transformational change is not a single building project or a single community project, but part of a larger-scale project in the region. Projects must influence economic and social well-being and instigate an increase in economic activity. Projects must cover one or more of three general areas: community development infrastructure, health care and workforce development.

The port authority was awarded $207,440.00 to fund design and planning for several projects. Muskingum University was awarded $83,705. Muskingum County will also likely benefit from $474,450 awarded to the Mayor’s Partnership for Progress.

The first phase of grants are technical assistance grants, which will help plan and develop projects, but the funds can’t be applied to brick and mortar, only to planning. A steering committee with representatives from the Muskingum County Commissioners Office and the City of Zanesville as well as other local organizations was formed to guide the application process. The overarching goal is to bring people into Appalachia, and keep people here,” said Matt Abbott.

Some of the plans include an Appalachian wine & beer trail, updates to theaters across the region, linking/upgrading green and blue trails, and coordinating expanded library services.

To read Chris Crook’s complete article in the Zanesville Times Recorder, click HERE.

Muskingum County completed several projects in 2023, and laid the groundwork for the future.

In partnership with the City of Zanesville and various towns and villages in the county, the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority − which celebrated its 35th anniversary this year − submitted a number of projects to the Ohio Department of Development in hopes of qualifying for some of the $500 million being distributed through the Appalachian Ohio Community Grant Program. The combined application will fund planning for a number of projects that will establish the area as a gateway to Appalachia, said Matt Abbott, director of the Port Authority.

The National Road Business Park, located near the Zanesville Municipal Airport, will be the site of two major business developments this year. Food manufacturer Grupo Bimbo committed to build a factory for its snack products, and the Port Authority will partner with a developer to build a spec building in hopes of attracting a new tenant.

More than $460 million of development took place in the county in 2022, Abbott said. “The best is yet to come, no question,” he said.

To read Chris Crooks complete article in the Times Recorder, click HERE.