After months of deliberation, city officials have officially approved the creation of an independent land bank in hopes of rehabilitating problem properties.

Butler City Council voted unanimously at a meeting Thursday, May 28, to adopt an ordinance that officially establishes the City of Butler Land Bank as an entity. But the ordinance only represents the first in a number of steps before the bank is operational.

The city’s next step is to submit for a certificate of incorporation from the state. After receiving it, the land bank board will have 60 calendar days to schedule its first meeting, which will be public.

“It’ll take a while to get that all approved and then we’ll start talking and developing a plan,” Mayor Bob Dandoy said.

Once the land bank is rolling, it will require a cash injection from the city.

Solicitor Tom Breth previously said a long-term goal would be financial independence through funds generated from properties or their sales.

An inaugural board was already hand-picked by Dandoy prior to the ordinance being drafted: himself, Butler Area School District superintendent Brian White, attorney Gerri Paulisick, financial adviser Jeff Geibel and former Center for Community Resources executive director Beth Gillan.

“I was trying to find a good cross section of people who represent various aspects of the community and I think I found it with these five people,” Dandoy previously said.

One of each inaugural board member’s terms will expire annually, with Dandoy set to end his term on May 1, 2027. White’s term will end in 2028, Paulisick’s in 2029, Geibel’s in 2030 and Gillan’s in 2031.

Conversations around establishing a city land bank circled around for a time before coming to council in February, when Dandoy said he wanted to present the idea formally.

Dandoy previously said the land bank could obtain property and let prospective developers pitch their ideas to the bank’s board. That board would then make the decision on whether that idea would benefit the neighborhood and city as a whole.

He also said it would be the responsibility of the land bank board to decide what areas of the city or properties it would target. He said he would encourage the bank to look citywide.