Hobart homeowners can receive up to $10,000 from the city for exterior energy-saving projects such as roofs, gutters, siding and windows, and up to $5,000 for interior projects.
Mayor Josh Huddlestun detailed the rebate program Thursday at the Maria Reiner Senior Center to a room of about 25 senior residents who peppered him and building inspector Felix Perry with questions.
Huddlestun said the city has set aside $2 million for the program made possible by an upfront payment of $47 million from Amazon Data Services in connection with the construction of an $11 billion data center for AI computing at 61st Avenue and Colorado Street.
The data center has divided the city and pitted residents, especially those who live by the project, against Huddlestun and other city officials who have embraced it.
In addition to the rebate program, Huddlestun said the city has eliminated its garbage fee for residents and is exploring ways to assist nonprofit groups with their projects.
There’s a maximum rebate of $10,000 on exterior work, including roofs, siding, gutters, windows and soffits.
Interior projects include furnaces, air conditioning, insulation, water heaters and duct sealing.
Homeowners must show proof of homeowner’s insurance and identification showing they live at the address. The rebate is only good for owner-occupied single-family homes.
Homeowners can apply for a maximum of $10,000 for exterior work and $5,000 for interior work in the same year.
Huddlestun said contractors have to be licensed in Hobart, and work has to start within 60 days and end 60 days after it starts.
As an example, he said if a roof costs $20,000, the homeowner would pay the full amount and then receive a $10,000 check from the city.
Liens will be placed on the home for five years after the work is completed.
“The reason is we don’t want flippers,” said Huddlestun. “This is for Hobart residents. We want people to reinvest in their homes.”
He said the lien requirement has been the most questioned aspect of the rebate. If a homeowner dies or decides to sell before the five years are up, Huddlestun said the rebate money must be repaid to the city. “The city has to be made whole,” he said.
“The idea is to create long, stabilized communities… this is city of Hobart funds.”
He said the money the city received from Amazon was designated as an economic impact payment.
The city requires the work to be inspected and projects can’t be paid for with insurance proceeds.
Perry said as of May 14, 36 applications were approved, totaling $157,000. He said not everyone is using the maximum amount. The minimum required is $500.
Perry said interior projects like insulation require an energy audit, done by the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. at no charge.
“My plan is to keep it going as long as we can. We think it will create a snowball effect across the community,” said Huddlestun.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to increase the valuation of your house, neighborhood and make homes more energy efficient.”
Applications for rebate projects must be done online on the city’s website, cityofhobart.org, under the OpenGov section on the home page.
The city is also offering a 50/50 sidewalk program match through the engineering department.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
