PORTSMOUTH- Owners of blighted properties in Scioto County need not worry local government will take ownership if they contact the land bank for help.

“The key element here is cleaning up blight, getting rid of the blight, making property values more for neighbors,” said Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis. “And giving neighbors relief from blight they’ve had to stare at.”

The land bank, or the Scioto County Land Reutilization Corporation, is a limited liability company, with some members of county government on the board. It is not a county government agency.

“If someone has a house that is blighted, gone, terrible, beyond repair, beyond remodeling, and they need help getting rid of that property … call us,” Davis said. “Let us know.”

The land bank is currently preparing a tear-down list for blighted property for the next round of state-funded grants for removing blighted residential and commercial buildings. In the current state budget, there is $150 million allotted for all Ohio’s 88 counties to vie.

“Once the capital budget passes, we’ll be able to get our hands on more teardown money,” Davis said.

Now is the time to get blighted properties on the teardown list. For more information, county residents can contact Angie Malone in the Scioto County Commissioners’ office at [email protected]. City residents can contact Portsmouth City Compliance Officer Andy Gedeon at [email protected]