• Both programs reimburse qualifying residents for portions of either exterior or sustainability-related improvements to their homes.

The upshot: These changes proposed by staff are aimed at allow more homeowners to take advantage of the programs.

• One proposed change, for example, would reduce a homeowner’s minimum investment needed to qualify for city grants from $2,500 to $2,000.

Key quote: “We feel [at] $2,000 you can still make a pretty good project, and it still meets the spirit of having the homeowner put some skin in the game. But [it] just minimizes that buy-in to the program a little bit,” Deputy City Administrator Nickie Lee told the council Monday night.

What are the changes?

In addition to lowering homeowners’ initial investment, city staff also recommended:

• raising the appraised value maximum for eligible homes for the exterior grant program from $350,000 to $375,000, Lee told the Post via email,
• and increasing the city’s match for both programs from 20% to 25% of a project’s cost.

What else: Staff also proposes rolling over unused 2022 exterior grant program funding to 2023, which would give the program a total 2023 budget of $90,000 in available funds to share with homeowners.

• Staff also has asked the city to set up an insulation-only project to the sustainability grant program for smaller projects with a minimum of $1,000 homeowner investment.
• The sustainability program’s budget would be increased from $20,000 to $30,000 in available funds.

Logistics: If approved, the programs would open on Feb. 1, a month earlier, to allow for earlier approvals.

• The project period for the programs would also be extended, allowing homeowners to have their home improvement projects completed in 180 days, rather than 120 days.
• Homeowners would also apply for each program online.

What’s next: These changes are set to come back before the city council for final consideration at its Dec. 19 meeting.

• On Monday night, the council committee of the whole unanimously approved moving both grants and associated changes forward to the city council.

Go deeper: More details about the exterior and sustainability grant programs can be found here and here, respectively.