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City forwards tax‑title transfers to council and allocates $75,000 to first‑time homebuyer aid; senior repairs program remains in planning
Summary
City staff reported that the council has received a request to transfer tax‑title properties to the trust, RFP drafts are in purchasing, the trust received a $75,000 earmark for first‑time homebuyer down‑payment assistance (applications are light) and discussions continue about staffing and administration for a senior home‑repairs program.
Revere — City staff reported March 12 that the Revere City Council has received a request to transfer tax‑title properties into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund’s custody and that drafted request‑for‑proposals (RFPs) for those properties are with the purchasing department.
Treasurer contact Asotin Newton reported the trust fund’s current balance as $677,721.73 and noted the trust has received an additional $75,000 earmark for the first‑time homebuyer down‑payment assistance program. The mayor’s office issued an initial press release to call for applications; board members said applications to date have been light.
The nut graf: formal transfer of tax‑title parcels and issuance of RFPs would allow the trust to evaluate and solicit bids for properties potentially suitable for affordable housing projects; meanwhile the trust has limited staff capacity to administer new programs such as a senior home repairs program.
Chair Joe Gravalese told members the city is preparing the RFPs and that the housing production plan and other council business contributed to earlier delays. He said the mayor’s office will help promote the down‑payment assistance application window. Gravalese said he anticipated asking the board at a future meeting to allocate an additional $5,000 to the down‑payment program to round the current $75,000 to a clean $80,000 so the program can continue to offer $10,000 per applicant (subject to board approval and once sufficient applicants apply).
Board members flagged administrative constraints for a proposed senior home repairs program; staff and trustees said the program would likely generate many applicants and require more administrative capacity for application review, estimate vetting and contractor oversight. Gravalese and other members noted that planning and community development staff are currently stretched and that the trust will need to identify how oversight and eligibility review would be handled before launching a repairs program.
Other items: board members noted upcoming external meetings relevant to trust work, including a March 18 CHAPA meeting and recent legislative engagement on a proposed local real‑estate transfer fee under study by regional legislators. No formal board votes on funding for these items occurred at the March meeting.
Formal action: a motion to adjourn the meeting was made, seconded, and carried; no opposed votes were recorded on the record.
