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East Palestine, Ohio (WKBN) — The business community in East Palestine has launched a petition to express their dissatisfaction with an ordinance recently passed by the village council.
The petition, which has 25 signatures as of Tuesday, focuses primarily on the new vacancy ordinance. The ordinance requires owners to pay a fee to register their vacant homes.
Don Elzer owns several buildings in downtown East Palestine, some of which are vacant. Now Elzer must register the vacant house with the village manager, and for each building he must pay a $400 fee.
“It’s what they claim will help eliminate vacant homes. It has nothing to do with it. What they’re doing is driving business and development out of town,” Elser said. rice field.
Eastern Palestinian Council MP Brandon Runnion voted in favor of the vacancy ordinance, which passed 4-3.
“Most of these buildings have been vacant since I was in middle school, elementary school.
The ordinance requires all vacant properties to be registered at the following rates, all of which double to five years.
- $200 for residential
- $400 for commercial buildings
- $600 for industrial buildings
Plans and inspections of vacant homes are also required.
“If they’re actively looking to sell, lease or rent, there’s a waiver that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to pay extra,” Lanyon said.
Karen Christian owns a nursing home in a former school adjacent to downtown. She, along with her six other business owners, spoke of her dissatisfaction with the village government.
“It’s not the right business environment at the moment. In my personal opinion, doing this places undue stress on small business owners,” Christian said.
Former business owner Bill Strohecker said, “I would be really upset if I decided not to rent for a while and they charged me.”
The group’s consensus was that the Eastern Palestinian Council was anti-business.
“They don’t show up and say, ‘Is there anything I can help you with?’ What can we do to help you?”
“I disagree with that. No. We are all supporting as locally as humanly possible,” Lannion said.
The group wants Eastern Palestine to be like Colombiana.
Diana Elzer mentioned a businessman who moved there.
“He said the difference between doing business in Eastern Palestine and doing business in Colombiana is day and night,” she said.
The business group said East Palestine has “slum rulers” that need to be addressed, but the vacancy ordinance is hurting even the good people in the community.
Runnion said he hopes to speak with the business owner to address the issue.
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