As we’ve reported, Perry is preparing to begin a 10-year tax abatement program.

City Administrator Sven Peterson says this is something that has been several years in the making.

“About a year and a half ago, Perry Economic Development and Perry Industries formed a subcommittee to study residential housing and kind of the lack of housing growth in town.  So they came forth with a list of recommendations and one of the things that they saw that was working in other communities was a tax abatement program.”

After a blight assessment that found the housing stock in Perry is around 30 percent dilapidated, Peterson says they were able to move forward with the “aggressive” tax abatement program. The goal he says is to encourage current residents to build a new home and get those who live outside the City to move to town.

“I’m excited to see those folks wanting to stay in the community, the folks that maybe are moving to the metro area and looking, community shopping.  This is going to put us closer to the top of the list.  Hopefully at the top of the list.  You know, we’ve got great things going on in town.”

Peterson says there hasn’t been a new home built in Perry for five or six years, but since the program was announced there are already a handful of basements going in already this fall.