High Point committee approves moving URP-26 assistance and disbursement policies to full council

The City of High Point Community Development Committee voted April 8 to send the 2026 Urgent Repair Program (URP-26) assistance policy and procurement and disbursement policies to the full City Council and authorized staff to execute necessary documents, including an administrative update to income limits once new figures are provided.

The committee, chaired by Tyrone Johnson, heard a presentation from Nina Wilson, Community Development and Housing Director, who said the city has been awarded URP-26 funds and that this is the city’s fifteenth year running the program. "This year, we have received 165,000, which is $150,000 for programs and 15,000 for administration," Wilson said, adding the city will provide a $10,000 match for a total program pool of $175,000.

Wilson outlined two substantive changes to the assistance policy for the URP-26 program: the maximum repair amount per unit increased to $15,000, and deferred loans will be forgiven at a rate of $5,000 per year until the balance reaches zero. She also said the city uses a promissory note rather than recording liens and requires owners to maintain the property as their primary residence while a balance remains.

The assistance policy uses 2024 income limits in the draft; Wilson told the committee that 2025 income limits had just been released but that the city had not yet received the updated figures from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. The committee’s motion explicitly authorized staff to make the administrative change to the policy to reflect the 2025 income limits when those figures are provided.

Wilson described program capacity and prior usage: "Approximately, we have done anywhere between 8 and 12 units," she said, and the city's current application proposes completing 11 units in the program year. She explained how funds are applied per project: if a repair costs less than the $15,000 maximum, the remaining URP funds may be used on additional units; if a project costs more than $15,000, the city can supplement URP funds with local match or Construction Training Program (CTP) funds provided by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, but not with federal CDBG or HOME dollars.

During committee discussion, members asked for clarification about the forgiveness schedule, documentation, and program capacity. After discussion, Councilman Tim Andrew moved to forward the policies and authorize staff to execute necessary documents, including the administrative update to income limits; Councilwoman Amanda Cook seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and moved the item to the full City Council for final action.

The committee did not set a final number of units beyond the application target of 11; the final unit count will depend on actual repair costs and the availability of matching funds.

Looking ahead, staff will update the assistance policy with the 2025 income limits when the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency provides the official figures and will proceed with document execution and program setup pending full Council action.