The city of Carrollton is in the process of applying for a grant that would allow it to buy out homes on Valley Circle that were badly damaged in the late September floods.

The city is currently writing a “substantially damaged properties” grant as authorized through federal mitigation funding made available once an area is deemed a national disaster area. If awarded, the grant would fund the city’s efforts to purchase properties from homeowners and would further pay for the cost of demolition of houses on the land. As part of the terms of the grant application, all lands purchased by the city with the grant money would need to be permanently cleared of all standing structures and allowed to return back to their natural state, effectively becoming permanent green space. In the future, the land could be converted into a park, though the grant mandates that no structures can be built on the property once it’s cleared.

Fourteen plots on Valley Circle in Carrollton qualify to be purchased through the grant program, though the final decision on whether to sell to the city or retain the property for future use would fall to the property owner. These properties qualify under guidelines set out by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority in that they suffered damage in the September floods that exceeded more than half of the value of the home and they also lie in a flood plain, meaning the property has historically flooded and will most likely suffer water damage again in the future.

“I think at some point it’ll flood again. It’s flooded before, and it’ll flood again,” City Manager Casey Coleman said. “It’s a rollercoaster for the property owner, and at some point, it could become unhealthy. That’s what the program is there for, though, to take the property off their hands. It’s a case of us trying to assist our citizens.”

On top of any money coming through the purchase of properties on Valley Circle, residents also qualify for private assistance from FEMA, though the city has no way of knowing how much the federal organization has distributed in relief funding for individuals, Coleman said.

The actual amount the city could receive as part of the substantially damaged properties grant has not been determined. According to Charles Griffin, director of planning and zoning for the city, the grant would allow the city to purchase the properties at their value prior to the flooding, and retroactive appraisals on the 14 plots have yet to be done, making it impossible to know how much the city might qualify for.

The deadline for the grant application is Jan. 15, and the state has said funds could be available as soon as next summer. If the city is awarded the grant, 75 percent of it would be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 15 percent would be made available by the state of Georgia and 10 percent would be paid by the city.

To this point, the process has been slow moving, marred by red tape on the state and national levels.

Woodrow Almon Jr., who owns a house at 113 Valley Circle that has visible water and mold damage to the ceiling in all rooms, said he is hopeful the city will be able to move forward with the buyout as soon as possible because already, he said, victims of the September floods have had to wait long enough.

“This has been happening for awhile. It seems like a slow dragging pace,” Almon said. “We’re ready for something to happen.”