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<br /> 71 <br />Mr. Schilling asked what is the average claim in Virginia, and said we should <br />explore what other localities are doing and learn from others who are more successful <br />than we are. <br /> <br />Dr. Brown said a high health cost issue is diabetes, and asked if we have any <br />wellness programs to help manage those employees. <br /> <br />New Initiatives <br /> <br /> Mr. O’Connell said that he has proposed $420,000 for the new affordable housing <br />program which is equal to one cent on the tax rate. He said the question is how much <br />does Council want to set aside for this program. He said he also wants to get a feel for <br />how many could take advantage of the program. He expressed concern about <br />administration of the program, and said he would like to do it simply the first year. He <br />said the funds would be a grant and would act as a credit on the December tax bill. <br /> <br /> Mr. Lee Richards, Commissioner of Revenue, said that if a person owned their <br />st <br />home on January 1 they could apply for a grant. If their eligibility income is set at <br />$50,000 and the house is assessed at no more than $238,000, they could receive a $250 <br />grant. He said a data base was created to get a feel for the pool of applicants. He said <br />Council may also want to look at asset levels. <br /> <br /> Mr. Schilling asked if asset levels includes equity in the property, and Mr. <br />Richards said no. <br /> <br /> Mr. Schilling asked for an estimate of the number of qualified households, and <br />Mr. John Gunter, Commissioner of Revenue’s office, said 4,000 could apply. <br /> <br /> Mr. Schilling asked for the number of applicants that the current amount was <br />based on and whether it would be on a first come first served basis, and Mr. O’Connell <br />said 1,660 was the estimate, and said the basis on which people would be served would <br />be a Council decision. <br /> <br /> Dr. Brown said the $420,000 could be spread out over the number of people who <br />apply. <br /> <br /> Ms. Hamilton asked if the $50,000 is family or individual income, and Mr. <br />Richards said it is normally family income, but that is a decision Council could make. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch agreed that the program should be made as simple to access as <br />possible. He said he would like to target 50% of homeowners. He said that would get at <br />people who have had their properties appreciate the fastest. He said the assessment could <br />be taken up to the VHDA limit of $280,00 and the income could increase to $73,300, <br />with the amount of money for the program increased. <br /> <br />Mr. Schilling asked for information on the Alexandria program and the <br />percentage of those who qualified who apply so we can get some idea what to expect. <br /> <br />Mr. Richards said that Alexandria puts $750,000 in their program now, but he <br />does not know the number of applicants. <br /> <br />Mr. Schilling asked how this would impact someone with an accessory apartment, <br />and Mr. Richards said that duplexes were included in the data base, but that is a decision <br />Council could make. <br /> <br />Mr. Schilling said he would like to see an estimate of staff time and cost based on <br />1,600 applicants a year. <br /> <br />Mr. O’Connell said that depends on how complicated Council makes it. He asked <br />if Council wants to get into the details before the budget is adopted, and if so, another <br />work session will be needed. <br /> <br /> <br />