NEW WATERFORD — The village is giving some land to the county land bank for use in the Mow to Own program.

Village Mayor Shane Patrone said this is the first time the village has done this and he said it’s an opportunity for the village to dispose of small vacant, unusable land.

The 0.38 acres of vacant property is located on Silliman Street.

Patrone said the acreage consists of three lots, with one against the railroad tracks and one along the creek in the village.

Patrone said he learned of the fairly new Mow to Own program through a presentation given by the Columbiana County Port Authority.

“It’s an opportunity for the village to dispose of small vacant and often unbuildable properties that need to be maintained, by transferring them to neighbors of the lots,” he said.

Village Council passed an emergency resolution entering into an agreement with the Columbiana County Land Reutilization Corporation to transfer the property through the Mow to Own program.

“The village simply turns the property over to the county and they handle the process.

It saves the village from handling maintenance, and can generate income to the village through property taxes, albeit very small amounts due to the low property value,” Patrone explained.

According to the land bank, eligible residents must own and live in a property adjacent to or within 300 feet of the parcel, must not have any delinquent real or personal property taxes, or have any active municipal or township code violations on properties currently owned.

Interested residents must also provide a planned use for the property.