The city of St. Clairsville is about to make it easier for residents to make a good impression — and a meaningful difference to their properties.

On Monday, City Council passed an ordinance authorizing a housing revolving loan fund administration agreement with the Ohio Department of Development. This will allow the city to begin spending money that has gone unused for close to a decade.

According to Planning and Zoning Administrator Tom Murphy, there is an unused fund that holds about $102,000.

The city intends to work with Belomar Regional Council to begin offering loans to homeowners. The goal is to fund rehabilitation of two homes for low- to moderate-income families or individuals.

Although details remain to be hammered out, loan recipients would be required to repay at least a portion of the money.

“That would allow us to build the fund up again,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he thinks there will be a demand for the assistance among community members.

“We think there’s some demand. I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding property owners,” he said.

“The next step is working with Belomar and working with homeowners to get the word out that these funds are available.”

It remains to be determined how much each loan might provide.

This plan sounds like a win-win for both the city and its residents. Many people would love to improve their properties but simply can’t afford to do so. Such a revolving loan fund would allow recipients to improve their own circumstances, while also improving the property value and the neighborhood as a whole.

We commend St. Clairsville officials for their creative thinking and for coming up with a good use for this money, and we wish them success with the plan.