(Photo from Habitat social media.)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – During Morgantown City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting, a presentation by Shawnda Cook, Executive Director of Mon County Habitat for Humanity ended with a request that some city fees regulating construction be waived for the nonprofit organization.
“Please revisit the fee waiver for Mon Co. Habitat for Humanity. The cost of building supplies and dwindling of grant funding, every little bit that we can save really helps us toward our mission,” encouraged Cook.
Cook told council members the organization has tripled its building capacity since 2010.
Within the next month, the nonprofit will close on the first four of ten homes in the Jerome Park area. They are part of the Deckers Court project.
For what the city would lose in fees, Cook argued there would be revenue generated.
“These four homes will generate an estimated $24,393 annually in taxes and revenue to our local government and an estimated $243,928 over the next ten years.”
To date, Habitat for Humanity has paid $2100 in city fees for the Deckers Court development. Cook estimated the total would be roughly $5000 by the time the work is completed.
The fee waiver request also puts council in a position to consider whether or not the habitat mission to build low cost homes for struggling families might positively impact the city’s homelessness rate.
“I have to say they go hand in hand. For every family that’s able to pay a modest mortgage and shifts into home ownership, this opens up one more affordable rental home for the most impoverished people in our community. This translates to a trickle down benefit to homelessness,” Cook explained.
Like all items discussed at a committee of the whole meeting, council took no formal action on the request.