Orange County considers tightening Longtime Homeowner Assistance and a "hold harmless" option for long‑tenured, very‑low‑income seniors

Orange County housing staff told the Board on April 14 that the Longtime Homeowner Assistance (LHA) program has grown from serving 91 households in its first year to 806 households in 2025 and that staff recommends raising the eligibility minimum from five years of ownership to ten years to prioritize longer‑tenured homeowners.

Blake Rosser, Housing Director, said the change would prioritize the longest‑tenured residents and allow exceptions for family transfers. Staff estimated that applying a ten‑year threshold to the 2025 applicants would reduce recipients from 806 to 669 and free almost $62,000 to direct to households that bought their homes before 2016.

The Board also considered a separate "hold harmless" proposal advanced by Commissioner Earl McKee: the county could hold Orange County tax bills harmless for future increases for households that meet all three criteria — at least 70 years old, at least 20 years of ownership, and income at or below 30% of Area Median Income (AMI). Rosser said staff estimates roughly 100 households in the 2025 recipient pool would meet those criteria. Under one discussed model, the county would ensure those households receive annual assistance equal to the total amount they paid in the prior year (tax paid minus LHA received), which would effectively offset future county tax increases for the household while the eligibility conditions remain met.

Commissioners raised administrative and legal questions. Commissioner Marilyn Carter asked whether periodic verification of eligibility could be required; Rosser said staff could create a verification program to reconfirm income eligibility. Vice‑Chair Amy Fowler noted income is different from wealth and asked whether verifying bank or investment accounts would be feasible; Rosser said wealth checks would be harder without federal program backing and would require applicants to disclose accounts.

County Attorney John Roberts advised legal caution, saying the county "doesn’t have the authority to impact taxes that are imposed" while noting that the county may offer programs that provide relief based on income. Roberts said a program framed as income‑based assistance is the safer legal path.

Commissioners requested additional information before taking action: Chair Jean Hamilton asked staff for cost estimates and example case studies showing program impacts; several commissioners asked staff to coordinate further with municipalities (Chapel Hill and Carrboro) that contributed to 2025 funding. No formal change was adopted at the work session; staff was directed to return with further legal analysis, cost estimates and implementation details for Board consideration at a future meeting.