The Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of Murray City voted June 17 to approve an agreement with Salt Lake Neighborhood Housing doing business as NeighborWorks Salt Lake to provide $400,000 in RDA funding for programs that help homebuyers and fund home rehabilitation.

Under the approved allocation the RDA designated $200,000 for NeighborWorks’ down‑payment assistance program and $200,000 for its home improvement and rehabilitation program. Agency staff said the down‑payment assistance awards typically have a per‑household limit of $30,000 and that NeighborWorks used prior allocations to help a small number of households: the federal‑style figure presented at the meeting was seven homes assisted with down‑payment support that facilitated more than $2 million in combined purchase value. The home‑repair program had one completed project and three active projects; staff reported a remaining balance of about $20,000 in the home‑improvement allocation from prior funds.

Elvaughn Ferrell presented the program results and the proposed agreement on behalf of the city. He told the board two employees used the city’s employee down‑payment assistance program last year; staff noted the employee program had helped two homes and facilitated about $503,000 of purchase value in the past year. NeighborWorks’ new CEO Bryce Garner was present for the presentation and available for questions.

Board members asked whether the RDA could increase allocations if demand exceeded this year’s budget. RDA staff said the currently adopted RDA budget contains funds for housing projects across multiple districts and that the agency could increase the NeighborWorks allocation mid‑year if needed; staff estimated roughly $3 million in low‑income housing reserves across RDA areas at the end of the fiscal year and said a $200,000 increase would be possible without an immediate budget opening.

The agency also received a progress update on the Triplane project: construction has begun on the first three homes. Staff said those units will be sold at market rate to avoid downward pressure on surrounding property values, and that purchasers will own both the house and the land (the homes are not being held in a land trust). The agency said it will provide further project updates in the regular project update agenda slot.

The RDA also reviewed its area budgets in a presentation by Brenda Moore. Staff described anticipated tax‑increment receipts and the budgeted $9,000,520 sale of the old City Hall parcel (budgeted but not yet received), plus existing commitments to reimburse developers under participation agreements in areas including Fireclay, Hamlet and Partley’s Partners.

A motion to approve the NeighborWorks agreement passed unanimously on a roll‑call vote.