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Consumer Confidence Water Reports |
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY WORKSHOPS FOR OHIO’S SMALL AND EMERGING BUSINESSES ====================================== Planner What is Economic Development to the City of Urbana? The City of Urbana has a mission to stimulate the formation and sustainability of industries and businesses within the city in order to create new job opportunities for our residents, and help identify new markets for local products. Urbana’s Development Planner facilitates that growth through a variety of methods including obtaining financial assistance, business plan review, and permitting processes. What programs are available for small businesses? Small and emerging businesses may need specialized assistance in the quest for success. The Development Planner can be reached at 937.652.4324 to help with plan review and permitting processes, as well as site selection process. There are outside funding resources available for financing building acquisition, equipment purchases, and other limited capital expenses. How do I make a business plan? Each plan is as unique as the business. Preparing that plan can help the owner get a better picture of the business needs and what is required to make it succeed. A business plan is also sometimes required to obtain financing. If you need assistance in putting a business plan together, the Small Business Association, the Women’s Business Center, the Small Business Development Center, or volunteer groups such as SCORE will be able to assist in drawing your business plan together. Are financial incentives/grants available to assist my company with its development or growth needs? The City of Urbana has a variety of programs to help your business start and grow. The type of assistance will depend on the nature of each individual project, but can include abatements and loans through the SBA, local banks, and the Ohio Department of Development. To find out which programs will work best for you, we need to know what you plan to do, the total cost of your project, if there will be new employment opportunities, and what financial resources you have already identified. What is the CAT? Ohio’s Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) and other major tax law changes can best be explained by experts—the Ohio Department of Taxation at 888.7CATTAX (888.722.8829) or on the web at http://tax.ohio.gov. The effective date of the CAT is July 1, 2005 and will be phased in over five years while replacing the corporation franchise tax and the tangible personal property tax. The CAT is a tax on the privilege of doing business in Ohio, measured by gross receipts, and is paid for by most types of businesses with taxable gross receipts of $150,000 or more in a calendar year. The rate of the CAT for gross receipts between $150,000 and $1.0 million will be a privilege tax of $150.00. When the CAT is fully phased in, gross receipts above $1.0 M will have an additional 0.26% on gross receipts in excess of $1.0 M. There are some exceptions to the CAT such as Nonprofits, insurance companies, dealers in intangibles, and certain receipts by public utilities among others.
At what point should I contact the Development Planner for help? Many of the programs which may work for your business take time to process and implement, so the sooner you call, the better able the City is to help. When you do call, be prepared to answer some basic questions about your project, such as the total project cost, the amount of funding you are needing, your current sources of funding, the number of jobs you will be creating, and the quality of those jobs (what skills will be needed to fill the positions, will you offer apprenticeships/training to employees, etc.). What do I need for purchasing property, adding on, remodeling or putting on a sign for my business? If you are planning to do any modifications to your business, you will need to check with the Zoning Department at 937.652.4322 about regulations. Depending on the location of the business, the Corridor Overlay, Heritage Overlay, or other zoning regulations may be influential in the decisions you make for your business. If the business includes a home occupation in a residential district (such as a home office, massage therapy, etc.), approval must first be obtained through the board of zoning appeals. Some property improvements may qualify for incentives. What types of permits are required for operating a business? Depending on the type of business you operate, you may need permits to operate. The City requires a zoning certificate that can be obtained at 205 S. Main Street. The State of Ohio and Champaign County may have additional requirements. You can call the State of Ohio at 800.848.4040, Champaign County Building Regulations at 937.652.1602, and the Champaign County Health Department at 937.484.1605 for their requirements. If you are providing a contracting, construction, painting, handyman, lawn fertilizing, landscaping, etc. service in the city limits, you must register with Champaign County Building Regulations. Who owns that building or lot? The Champaign County Auditor’s office has all the properties listed online at http://champaignoh.ddti.net/, and you can search by property owner’s name, parcel address, or by parcel number. The auditor’s website also lists the annual taxes, has a sketch and map of the property, among other information about the property. If the property is facing a Sheriff’s sale, the sale information is printed in the Urbana Daily Citizen and posted at the Sheriff’s office located at 214 North Main Street. Does the City have information on buildings available for sale or lease? The Development Planner maintains a database of properties that are for sale or lease within the City corporation limits. The database includes a variety of properties, including vacant land and industrial/manufacturing facilities. If you are looking for a new location for your business or if you would like to market your property in the database, please call 937.652.4324 for more information. What properties does the City have for sale or development? The City may have properties available for housing and/or for small business development. Contact the Development Planner for more information. Important Numbers City of Urbana Development Planner 937.652.4324 City of Urbana Zoning Officer 937.652.4322 City of Urbana Water Department 937.652.4316 Champaign County Building Regulations 937.484.1602 Champaign County Health Department 937.484.1605 Champaign County Auditor’s Office 937.484.1600 Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) 614.644.2246 Internal Revenue Service 800.829.1040 Dayton Power and Light (DP & L) 800.433.8500 Pioneer Rural Electric 937.653.7202 CT Communications 937.653.4000 Time Warner Cable 937.653.5507
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