The Warren County Commissioners on Wednesday will entertain a resolution that will result in the formation of a land bank.

The effort would take the county’s Redevelopment Authority and vest it with additional tools to combat blight and promote property redevelopment. Obtaining the commissioners’ approval is just the first step in the process.

Before the land bank can get up and running, the county’s municipalities– including the Warren County School District — will need to sign on.

Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said during Monday’s work session that he is “very confident about the ability to move forward” with the effort.

His timeline for implementation would see the RDA hold two strategic sessions to hammer out items such as the bylaws, an outreach effort to the municipalities in April and May and then a public hearing — required to implement the intergovernmental cooperative agreements needed – in June prior to roll out in July.

Commissioner Tricia Durbin asked Eggleston if he has presented the idea to the school district. Eggleston said he had not, waiting to make sure it was a commissioners’ project and not just his.

“I don’t expect any issue with the school board,” he said, saying the land bank “should be something that benefits them and the county.”

Eggleston added that the Council of Governments and the RDA are “hyper interested in getting this going.”

The closest land banks already in operation are in Venango and Erie counties. Chautauqua County in New York has a land bank.

The City of Warren is unable to create its own due to a population threshold.

Eggleston previously told the board that one of the primary benefits is that a land bank can be “more active in the process of turning blighted and delinquent property into productive use” but would also be able to eliminate liens and potentially hold properties for development.

“A lot of times we have properties,” he said, and people “don’t want to touch it because of some kind of existing issue with the property financially.” The land bank, he explained, could clean the title and transfer properties to new owners.