Table of Contents

• What does it mean to be "incorporated?"
• Why is being incorporated important for councils?
• How do I have my council incorporated?
• How do we obtain 501(c)(3) designation (tax-exempt status)?
• What guidelines should I follow to be sure my council operates efficiently?
• What type of information should be included in my council's bylaws?
• Sample bylaws

• I have just been elected president -- now what?
• What can I do to become a more effective leader?
• What are common responsibilities and duties of council officers?
• What records should council maintain? Who keeps them? Where? For how long?
• How do I run a meeting?
• How can I reduce the possibility of conflict during my meetings?
• Can I be an effective leader? What are my strengths? Weaknesses? (A worksheet)

• How many and what types of businesses are located in my neighborhood?
• How many and what types of schools, religious institutions, and social services agencies are here?
• What types of services or charitable activities do they provide to area residents?
• What do the residents of my neighborhood look like?
• What do they want and need?
• Who among them are potential council members and/or volunteers?
• How do we organize groups in my neighborhood?
• What are some points we should know before going door-to-door?
• What are Block watch groups? How are they formed?

This section includes a community-produced directory of important neighborhood contacts and resources, as well as a brochure and booklet listing key information about county and state departments and county-wide elected representatives. Also included is a segment devoted to special programs sponsored by the City of Cincinnati.

• What is the Grants Resource Center?
• How do I get started writing a grant proposal?
• How do I determine who to ask for funds?
• What are some do's and don'ts of grant writing?
• What is an RFP? How do I use it to prepare my proposal?
• What are my responsibilities if I get funded?
• Who can apply for an Invest Merit Grant?

Leadership Manual

Government Relations and Other Partnerships

City of Cincinnati Department of Community Development
Summary Description of Services

FOR INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PROGRAMS, CALL OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE INFORMATION LINE -- 352-6146.
(as of January, 2006)

Mission and Goals

The Department of Community Development provides and leverages funding and other resources that support quality housing, neighborhood revitalization, and human services. The Department also strives to eliminate blight and building safety hazards and to promote building repair and renovation, which is done through education and enforcement of property maintenance codes.

Mission:
To partner in developing vibrant neighborhoods utilizing cutting edge programs and services in a pro-active focused, customer friendly manner.

Goals:

1. We act as a catalyst for neighborhood improvement.
2. We are knowledgeable, accountable and highly motivated.
3. We utilize cuffing-edge programs and services to enable neighborhood development.

The Housing Services Division administers programs to improve housing quality for city residents. Programs include:

• Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program - provides low interest rate loans to homeowners.
• Emergency Repair Program - provides grants for winterizing and minor repairs for qualified low-income homeowners.
• Down Payment Assistance Program provides grants to assist first time homebuyers.
• Neighborhood Market Rate Housing provides financial assistance for new or rehabilitated housing without income restrictions.
• Cincinnati Homeowner Infill and Rehabilitation Program (CHIRP) - provides deferred forgivable loans for rehab and new construction of 1 to 3 units of single-family housing to sell to third party buyers.
• Rental Rehabilitation Program - provides deferred, forgivable, cash flow or amortized loans for landlords to rehabilitate their property containing three or more units for rental to low and moderate-income residents.
• Lead Abatement Program - improves the City's Housing Stock and protects our citizens by detection and elimination of lead hazards from inhabited housing units.
• Continuum of Care - provides financial assistance for housing and supportive services to special needs populations.
• Neighborhood Support Program - provides grants to community councils for small neighborhood improvements projects.
• Tenant Rights Representation Program - provides legal resources to low-income tenants to ensure that their residences are safe, decent and sanitary.
• Fair Housing Program - ensures enforcement of fair housing laws providing open and fair access to housing for all citizens.
• Receivership Program - fights urban blight through court intervention on vacant and abandoned buildings.
• Tax Abatement Program - provides incentives for residential renovation and new construction.
• Emergency Mortgage Assistance - provides one-time mortgage assistance to eligible moderate and low- income homeowners facing foreclosure due to circumstances beyond their control (job loss, illness, death of primary wage earner, etc.).
• Tenant Counseling & Placement - provides counseling to participants in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program about housing opportunities in the County area. This is a method of opening up the housing choices and to offset the concentration of poverty.
• Housing Advisory Council (HAC) - the HAC is a housing policy recommending board appointed by the Mayor. Its primary function as directed by
• City Council is to recommend and develop programs to address the rental
• needs of low-income families in Hamilton County, including the City of
• Cincinnati, and to secondarily focus on the identification of methods and
• programs to increase market rate rental and homeownership opportunities
• in the city of Cincinnati. In October 2004, City Council approved and filed
• the recommendations of the HAC. The recommendations fell into three
• categories: Homeownership (retain & create); Target Rental Units (reduce
• concentration); and Build Public Awareness.
• Tap and Permit Fee Assistance - provides grants to Cincinnati Habitat
• for Humanity for tap/permit fees related to construction of single-family
• homeownership units.
• Neighborhood Capacity Building and Technical Assistance - provides assistance to build and strengthen the capacity of community development corporations (CDCs).
• Blue Print for Success - a pilot partnership program between the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency (CAA) based on the youth-build model to help at risk youth ages 16-24 years receive high school diploma/GED and construction skills as they revitalize some of Cincinnati's houses.

Planning & Buildings

The Department of City Planning and Buildings is a unified, high-performance team that guides land use, zoning and preservation of historic structures, facilitates building permitting and construction inspection. Additionally, the Planning Division is responsible for:

• Administration of the Zoning Code.
• Administration of Subdivision Rules and Regulations, and other land use regulatory processes.
• Staffing the City Planning Commission.
• Providing professional guidance to property owners, the City and the Historic Conservation Board concerning certificates of appropriateness and other actions affecting the City's historic resources.
• Staffing the Historic Review Board.
• Data Services, including the collection, formatting, monitoring, maintaining, mapping and dissemination of statistical data/information to support information-based decision making at Departmental, City Manager, Mayor, and City Council levels, as well as support data needs of citizens, neighborhoods and developers.
• Facilitating Strategic Community and Urban Renewal Plans as directed by the Administration and City Council.
• Providing staff support and participation in interdepartmental processes and organizations such as Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) Expansion Project, Hamilton County Planning Partnership, and facilitation for the Cincinnati Public Schools.
• The Business Development and Permit Division (BDPD) is responsible for the issuance of licenses and permits, the inspection of all new construction, alterations, additions, as well as related plumbing, mechanical and elevator work.
• The duties of the BDPD includes the examination of plans to ensure that they comply with the requirements of the Zoning Code and the Building Code, and the handling of appeals on building and zoning code enforcement.