LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith will take the national stage this week at the United States Conference of Mayors in Tampa, Florida.
Mayor Smith plans to introduce a resolution to the Community Development and Housing Committee supporting the nationwide adoption of a "Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area." The resolution will ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to allow more flexibility in the "Community Block Grant" program. The goal is to help communities by cutting red tape for neighborhood revitalization efforts.
"This NRSA tool allows communities to carve out a boundary or an area and say, well, as long as this boundary and area qualifies under HUD terms, we no longer have to certify each individual project, each individual person, and ultimately, it allows us to do the revitalization work faster.” said Mayor Smith.
The City of Lima has already begun revitalizing neighborhoods through its “Better Together” program. Mayor Smith believes even more progress can be made with the NRSA resolution. She will also present alongside other Ohio mayors on their recent collaborative efforts.
The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Lima has a population of just under 40,000.
