Jamestown City Council members discussed an important correction Monday night regarding one of the resolutions that was approved during a November voting session.

Finance Committee Chairwoman Kim Ecklund, R-At Large, explained to the council that a new resolution allocating $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act Healthy Communities and Neighborhoods for the city’s 19A Homeownership program was needed to correct a mistake made in November.

“Unfortunately, the resolutions last month that we voted on were written incorrectly,” she said. “There were two resolutions involved.”

Ecklund said the City Council approved a correct resolution, allocating $500,000 for the 19A Homeownership program, which was what the council agreed to with the city administration. However, under new business during the recent voting session, the City Council passed a resolution that reallocated $250,000 of the 19A Homeownership program for the Senior Citizen Home Improvement program.

The 19A Homeownership program is designed for the city to acquire, rehab and sell properties in Jamestown. Homeowners will be required to follow certain guidelines established by the city during a five-year period to ensure that the rehabbed properties remain up to code and on the tax roll.

The Senior Citizen Home Improvement program provides rebates to cover necessary improvements made by senior citizens on their properties. The City Council has allocated $1.5 million in ARPA funding to cover the cost of all approved applicants for the program.

Originally, the city administration had requested $750,000 for the 19A Homeownership program. After months of discussions with the City Council, Ben Haskin, associate corporation council, agreed that the program could launch with $500,000, allowing the remaining $250,000 to be allocated for the Senior Citizen Home Improvement program.

The confusion and the resolution mistake resulted due to the full $750,000 never being approved by the City Council. As a result, instead of allocating $500,000 for the 19A Homeownership program and $250,000 for the Senior Citizen Home Improvement program, the City Council voted to allocated $250,00 for the 19A Homeownership program and $250,000 for the Senior Citizen Home Improvement program.

“That resolution should not have been there, because we really never approved the prior resolution,” Ecklund said. “That took away $250,000 from the $500,000 we just approved, leaving that resolution short $250,000. We took the $250,000 from a resolution we never voted on.”

Ecklund told the City Council she did not catch the mistake until the voting had already started. She explained the Finance Committee approved the correction, which will be voted on later this month.

“I had them add the new $250,000 to make the 19A hold to the $500,000 agreed upon,” she said. “This is just clearing up an error and making that 19A whole.”

Haskin also provided a brief report on the latest development for the 19A Homeownership program. He told City Council members that the city is preparing to acquire an additional property as part of the program.

“Probably at the next work session, you’ll be seeing a resolution to accept a deed to 523 Windsor,” he said.

In addition to the list previously provided to the City Council regarding future 19A Homeownership projects, Haskin said the city is looking into another house that was recently condemned.

“The house is very structurally sound, deplorable cleanliness conditions, but it’s one that theoretically could provide a very solid return for investment on the house on the back end if everything works out.”