Mt. Carmel officials are developing a new program that could help city residents save money on home improvements.
City Clerk Ryan Turner discussed the proposal during Monday’s Mt. Carmel City Council meeting. Turner said the program would function similarly to an enterprise zone but would be available to homeowners rather than only businesses.
Under the proposal, residents completing qualifying home-improvement projects could apply for a sales-tax exemption on construction materials purchased in Illinois by their contractors. Eligible projects could include new roofs, windows, doors and other residential improvements.
Mayor Joe Judge said the city still needs to establish the program’s requirements and financial limits. He used a 10-thousand-dollar project as an example but emphasized that the final guidelines have not yet been determined.
The program would apply to residential properties located within Mt. Carmel’s corporate city limits.
Turner said the city is in the early stages of what will be a lengthy development process. Officials hope to have the residential enterprise program completed and available before next spring.
Judge said similar programs have worked well in other communities and could provide residents with meaningful savings as construction costs continue to rise.