Henrico supervisors expand access to Employee Home Purchase Assistance Program

At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Henrico Board of Supervisors expanded eligibility for the Henrico County Employee Home Purchase Assistance Program, which provides up to $25,000 toward the purchase of an employee’s first home if it’s within Henrico County. Applicants now can have total household assets of up to $50,000, up from the previous limit of $30,000.

The value of primary vehicles and retirement accounts is not calculated in the total value of household assets, according to the program’s eligibility requirements.

The gross household income of qualifying employees may not exceed $92,760 (for one-person households) $140,000 (for two-person households) or $160,000 (for households of three or more people). The sale price of the home cannot exceed $500,000.

Qualifying employees must have worked for the county for at least 12 consecutive months, have credit scores of at least 600, contribute at least $1,000 in personal funds toward the downpayment and meet other criteria.

On the personnel front, the board appointed Marian Martin as the Fairfield member of the Board of Real Estate Review and Equalization, which hears complaints about real estate tax assessments.

Supervisors also awarded $3.9 million in contracts:

• $2 million to Finley Asphalt and Sealing LLC for concrete and asphalt repair projects over the year, with the option to renew for up to two years at the same price;

• $1.3 million to Woodland Construction Inc. for a renovation of the County Planning Department’s offices;

• $493,581 to Ebenezer Electric LLC to replace the service entrance main bypass switch and automatic transfer switch;

• $274,750 to Ace Electrical Co. Inc. to replace lighting and shade control systems at Libbie Mill Library.