Supervisors approve quarterly reports and sign letter supporting East Central Iowa homebuyer assistance grant

The Benton County Board of Supervisors approved several quarterly reports and agreed to provide a signed letter of support for an East Central Iowa Housing Trust Fund (ECIHTF) homebuyer-assistance application.

A motion to approve the Veterans Affairs quarterly report carried on voice vote; the transcript records supervisors answering “Aye” in roll-call. The supervisors then approved the general assistant’s quarterly report and the county recorder’s quarterly fee collection report in separate motions and recorded votes.

On a separate agenda item, the board reviewed a prepared letter of support for an ECIHTF application that would provide down-payment and rehabilitation assistance to a minimum of five first-time homebuyers in the four-county ECIHTF service area. The letter, read into the record, highlights the county’s desire to ensure prospective low-to-moderate income buyers can afford rehabilitation costs along with down payments and notes anticipated neighborhood improvements. The board first authorized the chair to sign the letter and then amended that motion so all three supervisors would sign. “To all 3 signatures on it. Instead of just the chairman's signature, all 3 supervisors will sign the letter of support,” a supervisor said; the amended motion passed on recorded votes.

The transcript shows routine approvals were conducted by motion and voice vote and that the board agreed to provide multi-signature support for the housing trust fund application; no grant award decision was made during the meeting.