Martinsville Weighs Enterprise Zone Application Fee as Governor’s Office Visit Nears

Martinsville City Council | September 9, 2026

Article Summary: Mayor Robert Lovell asked the Martinsville City Council on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, to consider what fee residents should pay to apply to join the city’s Enterprise Zone, suggesting a figure as low as $1,500 would keep the process within reach of most property owners. No action was taken.

Enterprise Zone Fee Key Points:

• Lovell told the council all of Martinsville — residential and commercial — lies within the Enterprise Zone.
• He suggested a fee “as low as $1,500” would mean most people could afford to apply, citing the time and paperwork the application requires.
• He stated that $10,000 will be the minimum for the abatement.
• The minutes record no motion, no vote and no figure set; the item was raised under the mayor’s comments, not as an agenda item.

MARTINSVILLE — Mayor Robert Lovell on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, asked the Martinsville City Council to begin thinking about what the city should charge residents who want to apply to participate in the Enterprise Zone, telling aldermen that a low fee would keep the program accessible.

Lovell raised the question under the mayor’s comments portion of the meeting. As the minutes record it: “Do we have an idea of what the Enterprise Zone fee should be for residents to spend to be able to apply to be in the zone. There is a lot of time and paperwork that goes into the application process, something as low as $1500 means most people could do it, all of Martinsville (residential and commercial) are in the zone. $10,000 will be the minimum for the abatement.”

The minutes record no response from any alderman, no motion and no vote. The item was not on the council’s posted agenda.

Two figures are stated and they are not the same thing. The $1,500 is a possible application fee the city would charge; the $10,000 is described as the minimum for the abatement. The minutes do not explain what the $10,000 minimum applies to — whether it is a minimum project cost, a minimum investment, or a minimum assessed value — and that distinction governs who would actually qualify. No ordinance, resolution or program document was provided with these materials.

Lovell’s statement that “all of Martinsville (residential and commercial) are in the zone” is significant for readers, since it means the geographic question — whether a given property is inside the zone — is already settled citywide, leaving the fee and the abatement threshold as the open items.

Governor’s Office Expected Sept. 15

Separately in his comments, Lovell told the council that “the Governor’s office will be here the 15th,” and that there would be a meeting with the city and ID Castings “to explain the need for State’s funds and property.”

The minutes give no further detail: they do not say who from the governor’s office is expected, what state funds are being sought, what property is at issue, or what ID Castings’ role is. The record does not state what ID Castings is or how it is related to the city, and nothing in these materials connects the visit to the Enterprise Zone discussion.

A Shared Code Inspector Through Land Bank Services

Lovell also told the council that Land Bank services include a code inspector hired at $75 an hour who is “shared currently with Casey and Marshall.” He said Martinsville “could use as well and receive reports, look at condemnable locations, and get entry warrants on buildings that are deteriorating on the outside to check safety on the inside.”

Casey and Marshall are both Clark County communities. The minutes do not name the land bank, state the terms under which Martinsville would participate, or record any action. No motion was made.

The mayor reported progress on two nuisance properties: a trailer on Mill Street “is currently being worked on to abide by ordinances,” and the trailer on Bond Street “finally got it’s skirting and the property has been mowed.”