Participation in surtax-funded programs decreased since OPPAGA’s last review due to market conditions and suspension of the Housing Rehabilitation Program.

Surtax expenditures met some statutory requirements, but expenditure levels for homeownership programs fell short. The county met some of its statutory expenditure requirements, including that administrative costs were less than 10% of the total surtax revenues and more than 50% of surtax funds for housing assistance were provided to low-income families. However, the county did not meet the requirement to spend at least 35% of surtax revenue for its homeownership programs. The county also did not meet the statutory requirement for spending no more than 50% of surtax funds for new construction in three of the five fiscal years of the review period.

Most surtax-funded housing is located in low-income, cost burdened areas of the county.

Loan collectability and forgiveness improved during the review period. For some homeowner and developer loan programs, loan collectability improved by approximately 2%. For other programs, the number of loans written off decreased since the last review period.

The county made programmatic changes to encourage program participation and maximize surtax fund spending, especially for homeowners. Additional time is needed to determine the effects of these changes.