The Lisbon City Council will be evaluating the downtown reinvestment grant at a work session ahead of the Oct. 14 city council meeting.

The council is wanting projects that apply to come before council prior to the awards being made to talk about their planned improvements.

Previously, Lisbon Historic Preservation Commission has helped with the review of applications to make sure any improvements planned adhere to the Department of the Interior’s guidelines for improvements to historic buildings. That includes looking at items like tuckpointing for bricks and windows.

City administrator Brandon Siggins said the council ultimately decides the recipients of the projects in the end, and the time frame of many of the projects.

Applicants need to identify the contractors they are working with in their application.

Mayor Doug O’Connor said that leaves instances where a project that was awarded in November sits on money that doesn’t get utilized for its purpose in a fiscal year, when other projects could have moved forward in the interim.

Siggins said the council could look at amending the policy so that any money that was not used in said fashion could roll over to the next year so others could get projects tackled.

O’Connor said another issue is people who make repairs to businesses in the downtown, but said businesses are never open to the public.

That has him and other council members wanting to review the process for the applications.

“The goal is that we’re working to enhance businesses that attract people in the downtown,” said council member Kevin Steele.

The process currently asks for planning and zoning to review applications, as well as LHPC.