Older Home Repair Assistance Program Set for Vote by Wheeling City Council
Eric Ayres WHEELING - Members of Wheeling City Council are expected to approve funding and criteria for the city’s latest home upgrade initiative this coming week when the Homeowner Repair Assistance Program for Homes Built Prior to 1940 receives a final vote.
Members of Wheeling City Council are expected to hear a second reading on the ordinance to create the new program and vote on its passage during Tuesday evening’s regular meeting. The effort has been in the works for months now and will expand the availability of similar home repair assistance programs to more homeowners in the city who were not previously eligible.
"The Homeowner Repair Assistance Program for Homes Built Prior to 1940 is a continuation of city council’s commitment to investing in our neighborhoods," said Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis, who spearheaded the new initiative. "This program, if passed at the April 4 council meeting, will help to make our neighborhoods more attractive and will play a small role in reversing run-down properties that plague some of our neighborhoods."
Formerly known as the Victorian Homeowner Repair Program, the proposal raises the gross household income cap from just over $65,000 - as was the eligibility threshold for previous programs - to a total of up to $120,000 for each household.
If approved by city council, there will be a 60-day window to apply for participation in the program. Eligible homeowners may be able to receive up to $5,000 to help pay for exterior improvements to their homes.
"We hope that we’re going to be able to get more money out to more members of our community to not only help them with their homes, but also to help our neighborhoods and our city as a whole," Sklavounakis said, noting that participating homeowners will also have to make a 20% match. "I and many other members of city council felt that it was very important that residents have skin in the game."
City officials received assistance in developing the program from members of the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission, along with officials in the city’s Economic and Community Development Department who help coordinate the city’s Facade Improvement Program. A committee of local officials who work with these entities was formed, and the committee helped develop criteria for the new program.
Wheeling Development Director Nancy Prager, who has overseen a number of similar homeowner improvement incentive programs in the past, will help coordinate the new program for older homes in the city. A total of $500,000 is expected to be allocated to the effort.
Although the new program is yet to be officially approved, Prager recently spoke before members of the South Wheeling Preservation Alliance to describe some of the criteria for the program that makes it unique from previous offerings.
"It’s for exterior repairs, but this one has a match requirement of 20%," Prager said. That means if you are going to ask the city for $5,000, your project has to be $6,000 because you have to put in $1,000 of your own money."
Unlike with previous programs, funds for this renovation initiative for older homes will not be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
"There is a score sheet that you will get with your application, and they will all be scored," Prager said. "The top 100 scorers will be called and selected for funding. This is a brand new program."
Eligible improvements include exterior paint, new windows, roof replacement or repair, porch or structural repairs, storm doors, insulation and other exterior upgrades. Improvements to detached garages will not be eligible as part of this program, but officials noted that homeowners can perform work on detached garages as part of their overall improvement projects - but that expense will not be counted toward the program’s overall cost.
"You’re really going to read the application, and you’re going to want to read the score sheet, because you want to receive the highest score you can possibly get," Prager said.
The homes must state on their deed that they were built prior to 1940. If the program is approved by council on Tuesday, applications will be accepted for a 60-day period through 4 p.m. on June 5. On June 6, Prager said they will begin compiling the list of eligible homes.
The house has to be homeowner occupied, and if an applicant is selected to participate, the city will request income verification via tax forms. Applicants cannot have any outstanding citations or unpaid city fees, Prager stressed.
During the March 21 meeting of Wheeling City Council, the ordinance to create the new program received a first reading. At that time, Councilman Dave Palmer moved to amend the ordinance to lower the total amount of money allocated to the program from $500,000 to $150,000, with the caveat that council could always come back for more funding.
"I applaud Mr. Sklavounakis, and I think it’s a wonderful program," Palmer said. "I agree with the program, but I don’t agree with the $500,000."
Palmer explained his concern that if only a few dozen homeowners apply for the program in the beginning, the bar may have to be lowered on the scoring sheets in order to reach more homeowners and distribute all of the half million dollars in repair incentives.
"If there is an overwhelming response, we can bump it up," Palmer said. However, his motion to reduce the total funds for the program died for lack of a second.