Agenda - 09-06-2022; 8-a - Minutes

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36 1 Kathy Atwater said she is grateful the Commissioners are looking for ways to help 2 residents stay in Orange County. She said people move here because they love it but move out 3 because they cannot afford to live here. She agrees with keeping the qualification at below 80% 4 AMI, allow the 5-year homeowner, and that it should address the whole tax burden. She said 5 that longtime residents have seen increases over time. 6 David Remington said he agrees with the suggestions of others and believes there is a 7 good possibility that using tax burden as an indicator will keep award total below the available 8 funding amount. He said that he does not think it will be anywhere near 100%. He said if it is 9 not, he encouraged them to keep the program as broad as possible to serve the most people. 10 He said that he agrees with the 5-year homeownership, the 80% limit, and to encompass the 11 broadest group that it can. He said he echoes everyone else's thoughts on this. 12 13 Commissioner Fowler asked about the change in average awards between the last 14 presentation and now. She asked where the $2,954 came from before. 15 Nancy Freeman said that is the average tax bill for all those properties in the 5- and 10- 16 year properties. 17 Commissioner Fowler asked if that included the 60-80% AMI. 18 Nancy Freeman said that once they were able to establish that, they were able to 19 change it to $1,500. 20 Commissioner Fowler asked if they felt this set of numbers was more accurate. 21 Corey Root said yes, and there is also a lower number of households, so both numbers 22 decreased. 23 Commissioner Fowler said if you use the 2% cap then no one would get the reward. She 24 said that makes it hard to believe because previously that had been a much larger number. 25 Corey Root said using the $2,954, the average award is much higher. 26 Commissioner Fowler asked if it is more correct that those in the 60%-80% would be 27 getting closer to nothing. 28 Corey Root said yes, but not everyone. 29 Chair Price asked about prioritizing age over length of time in the home, she felt 30 uncomfortable. She said now feels better after seeing the formula and the multiplier. She said in 31 terms of neighborhood preservation age is not a determining factor in helping keep someone in 32 their home. 33 Commissioner Greene said if tax bill is lower than 2% of someone's income, they do not 34 need this program. She said she does not see that as an issue here. 35 Commissioner Fowler said she was surprised that it was estimated at zero. 36 Commissioner Greene said she does not know if the estimates are right and that they 37 will vary. 38 Commissioner Bedford said at $75,000, 2% is $1,500. She said these are just averages. 39 She said it was a little surprising and that she agrees with Commissioners Greene and Fowler. 40 Commissioner McKee said he appreciates the goal here but for him, the issue is the 41 disparity of the revaluations. He said he was shocked when people held up the pictures of home 42 revaluation comparisons at the last meeting this was discussed. He said he does not know how 43 to reconcile that. He said there is a need for a revaluation method that is not so convoluted and 44 onerous. He said something about the way they are done is not right or fair to him. He said he 45 prefers the 10-year requirement because he does not consider 5 years a longtime homeowner. 46 He said he wants to figure out a way to help those at 60% AMI and below without creating a 47 situation that is not sustainable. He said that is a factor because of where we live, but in Duplin 48 County it would be different. He said every year the taxes go up and in the 1980s and 1990s 49 they were 2-6 cents per year. He said that drives people out of the county. He said the county 50 does not have the legal ability to do anything about gentrification. He said they have the ability