Wilmington City Council approved several ordinances on housing at its Thursday meeting.
Councilmembers voted in favor of an ordinance that created a loan program for first-time homebuyers who work in education. The ordinance won over Council 11-0 with two absences.
The Education Workforce Down-payment and Settlement Assistance Program does not have a fiscal impact on taxpayers. The city’s Department of Real Estate and Housing will loan up to $15 thousand to first-time prospective homebuyers to help with down payment or settlement costs.
The ordinance’s sponsor Councilmember Coby Owens said this legislation tells constituents Wilmington wants to recruit and retain school system workers.
“That's why I brought this forward,” Owens said. “It's a great opportunity to really highlight our city, but then also to bring in working class people, to get them into homeowner opportunities within our neighborhoods.”
Full-time educators, school counselors, nurses, social workers, paraprofessionals, custodial and maintenance staff, bus drivers and lunchroom and food service staff at Wilmington-based public and charter schools are all eligible for the loan.
Owens added folks in education weighed in on the proposed program, including union members.
Councilmember Yolanda McCoy requested to be added as a co-sponsor.
“I do think there's a great piece of legislation,” McCoy said. “I love the fact that we're going to try to encourage more people in education to come to our city. This is already a great program… We are already getting people to be home[owners] within the city, but to also be trying to get people here who are educators for our children, to grow our village.”
The Department of Real Estate and Housing will take the reins from here now that Councilmembers approved the program.
McCoy also brought forward a two-ordinance package to protect renters at Thursday’s meeting. Those both passed 11-0 with two absences.
One required landlords to include a full copy of tenants’ rights in their leases. The second allowed tenants to hold funds in escrow with the city if their landlord isn’t addressing maintenance issues.
Councilmember Shané Darby questioned whether there were accountability measures in place to enforce the new regulations.
“We don't have accountability on the city end to say, ‘if you don't have a business license, if you don't have these things, then you can't renew your license, or you can't pull a permit until these things happen,’” Darby said. “So I just think it has to be connected to that, but I think that can also be another piece of legislation.”
McCoy said city officials will have to figure out methods to hold landlords accountable to the new regulations.
“That has to be something else,” McCoy said. “This was more so about making certain that any of the residents who wanted to take advantage of the ordinance, the escrow ordinance, they already had this information in hand when they came to or would they be able to access it.”
McCoy added renters should know the options they have if their home is not properly taken care of. Landlords were already required to include a summary of tenants’ rights in their leases, but McCoy said it’s important Wilmington City Council took the extra step.
