Amid opposition from residents, Whitehall City Council in a split vote approved tax abatements for a planned housing development last month.
Now, hundreds of residents have signed petitions to put several referendums on the November ballot that would give voters the chance to decide if the developer should get those tax breaks, and what kind of development should go in that area.
鈥淲hen you give tax abatements, it is essentially taking money that would have gone to city services,鈥� said Whitehall resident Holly Stein, who helped lead the referendum charge against the Fairway Cliffs development.
Stein, who is running for Whitehall City Council, and other residents collected some 430 signatures in just 10 days 鈥� far exceeding the needed 283 signatures to get four referendums on the ballot. Though it remains to be seen if the Franklin County Board of Elections will certify all of those signatures. Whitehall City Attorney Brad Nicodemus said he received a copy of the petitions and expects to hear back from the board of elections by next week.
Fairway Cliffs would build just under 50 houses in a dense development off Fairway Boulevard. Development plans also call for the creation of a more than 7-acre community park.
Residents attended Whitehall City Council meetings with concerns about the development itself and about several tax incentives that were eventually promised to the project鈥檚 developer.
Those include a 15-year exemption from property taxes. During those years, a special assessment equivalent to the real property tax would be levied on the development. Those funds would be used for public infrastructure, a homeowners鈥� association, and payments in place of property taxes to Whitehall City Schools.
Starting in year 16, property taxes would be placed into a tax increment financing fund that could be used to maintain public infrastructure in the housing development and the community park, according to the original plans for the development on the
At their , Whitehall City Council members Devin Brown, Lori Elmore, Amy Harcar, and Amy Smith those tax abatements. Council members Larry Morrison and Gerald Dixon voted no, and Joanna Heck abstained.
Stein said from that vote, residents had 20 days to petition for a referendum, per the Whitehall city charter. They began Easter weekend and organized drive-through signature events to optimize the process.
鈥淭hey already were informed about what they were coming to do. So in a way, it was, the outcome was what you wanted,鈥� Stein said.
Three of the referendums relate to ordinances passed by the Whitehall City Council.
The fourth is a new ordinance written by Whitehall citizens that would create a new zoning district for the Fairway Boulevard area that would limit future uses, subdivision, and infrastructure in the area.
鈥淲e understand that there will be development in the future, and what we're trying to do is write the requirements,鈥� Stein said. 鈥淲e reinforce our zoning code interpretations and also do a protection of what size lots you are able to build on.鈥�
That ordinance, called an initiative referendum, also looks to protect large trees and put a moratorium on development in the area until the November election.
Stein said residents have already made it clear that the proposed development is 鈥渘ot wanted or needed in the community.鈥� She said the situation has also mobilized community members who previously were not involved in local government.
鈥淚 think the thing that we've learned the most through this as a community is don't accept answers that seem to be given to you,鈥� Stein said. 鈥淕et involved, right? When you know more, you can do more. And that's exactly what Whitehall did.鈥�
