Orange County NC Website
5 <br /> 1 was void of the N.C. Department of Commerce's mandatory Spanish-language notification <br /> 2 designed to ensure that the Spanish speaking LEP community was properly informed. In order <br /> 3 to complete the official grant closeout process, the N.C. Department of Commerce is requiring <br /> 4 that another notice including the referenced Spanish information be published and an additional <br /> 5 public hearing occur. Proper notice for this public hearing has been published. <br /> 6 <br /> 7 FINANCIAL IMPACT: This grant provided $400,000 in this community for the repair of seven <br /> 8 (7) homes. The total hard cost for the completion of the housing rehabilitation was $311,257 <br /> 9 plus $40,000 administrative costs for a total of$351,257. The remaining $48,743 was <br /> 10 associated with one of the selected houses that were determined to be too deteriorated for <br /> 11 repair. Thus, $48,743 was retained by the State Community Development Program. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Commissioner Jacobs referred to the $48,000 retained by the state and asked how <br /> 14 these houses are vetted in order to avoid forfeiting this money in the future. <br /> 15 James Davis said there is a process to evaluate the homes, and this home appeared to <br /> 16 have met the qualifications but had more deterioration than was first determined. <br /> 17 Commissioner Jacobs said this seems to indicate that there is a flaw in the process, and <br /> 18 he asked if this will be changed to avoid future issues. <br /> 19 James Davis said yes. He said this is not a new incident, and it was discussed with the <br /> 20 Board at a previous meeting. He said staff is in the process of making sure homes meet the <br /> 21 specifications for a future rehab program through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency. <br /> 22 Commissioner Rich said she had the same question as Commissioner Jacobs, and she <br /> 23 would like the process to be reviewed. <br /> 24 Commissioner Price asked if the guidelines allow funds to be switched or rolled over <br /> 25 from one project to another. <br /> 26 James Davis said there is a good likelihood that funds could be used to complete a <br /> 27 similar project. <br /> 28 Commissioner Dorosin asked if there are any controls in the project regarding the <br /> 29 amount of rehab needed as compared to the value of the house. He wants to make sure funds <br /> 30 are being maximized. <br /> 31 James Davis said there are currently no funds available from the legislature, but there <br /> 32 are monies available from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, and this agency is much stricter <br /> 33 on the homes they select. He said the homes can only increase to a certain value, so as not to <br /> 34 affect the value in the neighborhood. <br /> 35 Commissioner Dorosin said he is thinking more broadly about a policy and what kind of <br /> 36 parameter funds like this should have in order to maximize resources. <br /> 37 Renee Holmes is the Health and Homes Program coordinator, and she has worked on <br /> 38 these grants. She said staff was initially told that the maximum spending was $40,000 per <br /> 39 home. She said rehab specialists evaluate the homes to determine the amount of rehab <br /> 40 needed to bring the house up to code. She said the state has made exceptions as many <br /> 41 houses required more than $40,000. She said there is an application period and homes are <br /> 42 selected from those applicants. <br /> 43 Commissioner Dorosin said there were seven homes in this project. He asked if there <br /> 44 were more applicants and how the projects are prioritized. <br /> 45 Renee Holmes said the state requires that the income for the scattered sites must be 50 <br /> 46 percent of area median or less. She said this is how these sites are prioritized. She said the <br /> 47 economic recovery is 80 percent of area median income, and it is first-come, first-served. <br /> 48 Commissioner Dorosin said the County has made housing a priority, and the state has <br /> 49 guidelines, but those should be the floor. He said there are priorities that should be set and <br /> 50 guidelines on when it is worthwhile to spend $75,000 on one house, versus spending that much <br /> 51 on two homes. He wants to make sure the program is maximized. <br />