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South Side Real Estate & Home News & Notes



Manufactured home tax bills being delivered

SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit County Fiscal Office officials announced first-half 2021 manufactured homes tax bills were mailed out Jan. 28 and are due March 1.
Property taxes are deferred for military reservists who are on active duty, with applications for this available by calling 330-630-7226 or at fiscaloffice.summitoh.net.
Payments can be made: by mail postmarked by March 1 to avoid the statutory 10 percent penalty for late payment, with private meter not valid for establishing the date of payment; or by using the drop box located at the Fiscal Office Services Department located at 1030 E. Tallmadge Ave. weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Assistance to manufactured home owners who have delinquent taxes is available. For details, call 330-630- 7226.
Officials stated it is the responsibility of the property owner to obtain and pay their tax bill on time. To request a copy of a tax bill, call 330-630-7226 or 330-630-7225.

 

Akron Utilities Business Office drop box relocating

DOWNTOWN AKRON — The City of Akron is relocating the drop box for the city’s Utilities Business Office.
According to city officials, the new location for the drop box will be at the Pry Building, 1180 S. Main St. The former location at the CitiCenter building will be sealed off and no longer in use as of today, Feb. 19.
The new box can be used to drop off a check or money order payment, as city officials request no cash payments.
City officials added that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Utilities Business Office is not open to walk-in customer service at this time.
Moving the utility box will allow for a $28 million private redevelopment of the 11-floor CitiCenter, city officials said.
In addition to the drop box, customers can make payments by calling 330-375-2554, online at www.akronohio.gov/billpay or by mail to: Utilities Business Office, P.O. Box 3674, Akron, OH 44309.
City officials added Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds are available for those having difficulty paying their utility bill. If customers’ finances have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is difficult to make timely utility bill payments, customers can visit akronohio.gov/akroncares to apply for assistance.
If hardship is not the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, customers may still qualify for Akron Cares assistance if they meet certain qualifying criteria, officials added.
For details, contact the Utilities Business Office Mondays through Fridays or via email at UBO@AkronOhio.gov.

 

Rebates
for Tornado Safe Room available

OHIO — The Ohio Safe Room Rebate Program once again is offering rebates to help Ohio homeowners construct and/or install tornado safe rooms on their properties.
According to program officials, a safe room is a structure designed to provide near-absolute protection in extreme weather events and can be installed in a basement, beneath a concrete slab-on-grade foundation or garage floor, or in an interior room on the first floor. A safe room also may be buried in the yard or be a stand-alone structure near the home.
“A tornado safe room is built to withstand wind speeds up to 250 mph, or an EF5 tornado, and can provide occupants near-absolute protection from damaging winds and airborne debris,” said Ohio EMA Director Sima Merick.
In 2019, the National Weather Service confirmed 21 tornadoes struck Ohio May 27-28. The tornadoes killed two people and caused an estimated $1 billion in damages, proving to be the most destructive natural disaster in Ohio history.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency’s rebate program offers a rebate of up to $4,875 to homeowners selected to participate in the program on constructing a safe room. Officials stated funding for the rebate program is made available through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs.
Officials added safe rooms must meet FEMA requirements in FEMA publications 320 and 361 and cannot be constructed/installed prior to the rebate drawing and notification to proceed with construction from Ohio EMA.
Ohio EMA offers the rebate program annually when HMA funding is available, and the amount of HMA funding determines the number of rebates available for safe room construction or installation. The Rebate Program uses a computerized random selection process to select applicants. A priority list of applicants will be created from the selected applicants. Ohio homeowners have until March 5 at 5 p.m. to apply for the rebate. Chosen homeowners will be notified by email of their position on the priority list on or after March 12.
For more about the program, visit ema.ohio.gov.

 

Maria Lindsay and Eric Poston contributed to these reports.