On Thursday, city council appointed Dean to the board of directors. She is the only council member who publicly expressed interest in being on the board.
The CIC will be a non-profit organization, and will serve to encourage and facilitate economic, industrial and commercial development in the city.
City Manager Brent Merriman said the corporation would help fix up blighted properties or aid properties that are currently underused. The Xenia Community Improvement Corp. would also help with special events such as First Fridays, and play a role in establishing a downtown Main Street program.
The board of directors also includes the city manager, the city’s finance director and the city’s development director. After a council member is appointed, the four city-related board members will meet and select the three remaining “at-large” seats, said Assistant City Manager Jared Holloway.
Xenia city staff recommends Xenia help the corporation start-up funds from the city’s miscellaneous improvement fund. Merriman said this fund is not taxpayer dollars, but cash flow from real estate that the city owns.
The budget for the Xenia Community Improvement Corporation has not yet been determined and no funds in the city’s 2021 budget have been earmarked for the CIC yet, Holloway said.
“This will be a separate entity from the city,” Holloway said. “The city will certainly have a stake in the CIC board, and we plan to work in conjunction with the CIC, but it is not an arm of the city.”
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