Council introduces down-payment assistance ordinance; commission forms subcommittee to develop program guidelines

City staff told the Davis Social Services Commission that the City Council has introduced an ordinance that creates a framework for down‑payment assistance programs for income‑qualified households, and asked the commission to provide programmatic input.

Kelly Sackowitz, assistant city manager, said the ordinance intentionally sets out a broad framework rather than a specific program. "The framework, it was very intentionally left broad so that it is actually a framework. It's not a program in and of itself," Sackowitz said. She added that program details — such as eligibility bands, assistance amounts and funding sources — would come later in a resolution that the council could revise more easily than an ordinance.

The ordinance as introduced does not allocate city funds. Sackowitz told commissioners that programs could be funded wholly by the city, by outside grants, or by a combination; specifics would be set when the council adopts program guidelines by resolution. Sackowitz also said the ordinance needs a second reading and would take 30 days to go into effect after adoption.

During public comment, Regina Valencia, a local real estate broker who presented a First Time Homebuyer proposal to the commission previously, urged commissioners to recommend seed funding into a housing trust fund and to clarify the category "private sources" in the housing policy. "I offer myself too if you wanted someone to chat with and get some ideas," Valencia said, and suggested $1 million from Measure Q as a possible seed for a housing trust fund that could support down‑payment assistance.

Barbara Kletter, co‑chair of Interfaith Housing Justice Davis, told the commission the group supports down‑payment assistance for first‑time buyers and also urged a funding commitment. "We really hope that you'll see this as part of the continuum to support all the housing needs in Davis," Kletter said.

Commissioners discussed program scope and likely beneficiaries. One commissioner summarized local affordability calculations presented at the meeting, noting Davis median household income of about $113,000 and that 80 percent of area median income (AMI) would be roughly $90,000. That commissioner described how a household at 80 percent AMI could face a monthly housing payment near $1,843 using a 30 percent affordability threshold, and said a hypothetical home price that matched that monthly payment (given current interest rates and a 20 percent down payment) would be on the order of $270,000 — far below most local sale prices.

Sackowitz and commissioners cautioned that down‑payment assistance is only one tool in a broader housing strategy. Sackowitz said the city has about 125 price‑restricted for‑sale units that align with lower price points, but she described down‑payment assistance as one targeted tool "for really one particular segment" of the housing spectrum.

The commission voted to form a subcommittee to develop programmatic recommendations and coordinate with the council's fiscal subcommittee. The commission's motion to form a subcommittee passed after a motion and second; commissioners named to the Social Services Commission subcommittee were Rachel (surname not specified in the transcript), Commissioner Cook, and Commissioner Brown‑Blake. Sackowitz said the council had asked its fiscal subcommittee (Donna Neville and Bapu Vaitla, identified as a council subcommittee) to work on the fiscal elements while the Social Services Commission focuses on program features.

Next steps identified at the meeting include the council completing the ordinance second reading and the newly formed commission subcommittee gathering research and public input to return recommendations to the full commission and the council subcommittee. No city funding was allocated in the ordinance as introduced; any funding decisions would come later when a program is adopted.

Votes at a glance: The commission approved formation of a down‑payment assistance subcommittee (motion passed; motion and second recorded and vocal "ayes" were recorded in the meeting; a roll‑call tally was not provided in the transcript).