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16 <br /> Agreement on behalf of the County, and authorize the County Manager to sign any contract <br /> amendments up to the maximum performance incentive amount of$100,433. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> Chair Hamilton said the Board is pleased to support this incentive and thanked CITEL for <br /> their interest in Orange County. <br /> 6. Regular Agenda <br /> a. Longtime Homeowner Assistance (LHA) Program — Potential Addition of Funds <br /> The Board received an update on application numbers and percent tax relief for the calendar year <br /> 2025 Longtime Homeowner Assistance (LHA) program, which assists low-income Orange County <br /> homeowners with a discount or rebate on their property tax bill; and considered a potential <br /> increase in funding for the current year LHA program. <br /> BACKGROUND: The LHA Program was initiated in 2022 to assist longtime Orange County <br /> residents with assistance for potentially burdensome property tax bills. Since then, the program <br /> has expanded with annual contributions from both Chapel Hill and, newly this year, Carrboro. <br /> In 2025, the Orange County property tax revaluation raised property values significantly for many <br /> Orange County residents, and the anticipated increase in LHA applications and approvals has <br /> manifested, with nearly 60% more applications submitted than 2024, and approximately 70% <br /> more approvals. In the table below, the "eligible" row is still an estimate, as staff have yet to <br /> complete final processing of all applications: <br /> LHA Applications Submitted <br /> 2024 2025 <br /> Number Percentage Number Percentage <br /> Eligible <br /> Applications 502 83% 850* 90% <br /> Ineligible <br /> Applications 102 17% 92 10% <br /> TOTAL 604 942 <br /> Staff has calculated award amounts using the following guidelines (parameters below are from <br /> 2024 and using 2024 amounts, these steps would remain the same for 2025 although the <br /> values would change): <br /> • All applicants were arranged in priority order <br /> o FIRST: Tax Burden, largest to smallest <br /> o SECOND: Length in Home, longest to shortest <br /> o THIRD: Age, oldest to youngest <br /> • Full awards were allocated to as many participants as possible using $75,000 of the <br /> $250,000 available funding. <br />