Commission approves reinstatement of sewer-connection aid and lien terms for residential rehab grants

The Escambia County Board approved reinstating the sewer-connection component of its residential rehabilitation grant program for non‑homestead homeowners and adopted updated funding and lien terms, county staff told the board.

A county staff presenter described the revised conditions: applicants must provide current or draft lease agreements showing prevailing rental rates if the property is occupied by tenants; property owners may not increase rent by more than 5% during the three‑year lien term and must submit lease agreements annually to Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) staff for the lien duration. Staff said if a property is sold, transferred or otherwise conveyed during the three‑year lien period the homeowner (or heirs/assignees) must repay the total grant amount disbursed under the agreement unless the buyer is a homeowner whose household income is at or below 80% of area median income (AMI), verified in writing by the CRA.

Staff also said the program requires a 50% match from recipients, with assistance capped at $10,000. Commissioners asked whether commercial properties could receive similar assistance; staff replied commercial grants are generally larger (a noted $25,000 matching program exists for commercial properties) and that the county would examine aligning commercial terms separately.

The item was moved, seconded and approved; the meeting transcript records the action as passing "unanimous." Staff said they will return documents and implementation details for subsequent ratification.

Outcome: approval recorded in the meeting transcript (stated as unanimous). No roll-call tally (yes/no names) was read into the record in the transcript provided.