Disaster Relief Fund: 'North Cantonians helping North Cantonians'

After the all the , North Canton officials knew something had to be done to help those whose insurance didn't cover the total cost of repairs.

In September, proposed the idea of a which can be used when money gets tight in disaster situations. After getting approval from the state auditor to start it, it may soon go into effect.

Council will look to approve the fund at next Monday's meeting.

"This is a fund we can put together when a local disaster occurs like the flooding, and it's not declared a county disaster," Cerreta said. "We'll put a piece of paper in your tax forms asking people to donate $5, or any amount, and they'll get a tax deduction for it."

He added, "It's North Cantonians helping North Cantonians."

The fund is fueled by donations, and when needed, residents fill out a form that asks questions such as "What financial impact (revenue and/or expenses) will this event have on your family/business for the current fiscal year?" and "What short and long term strategies have you adopted to help you recover?"

The applications will then be reviewed by a committee, Cerreta said.

"There is a cost to doing something and there is a cost to not doing something," Cerreta said. "The cost of doing this and putting an extra flier in the mail and taking it to the bank is a cost that outweighs the cost of not doing this at all."