The Coahoma County Board of Supervisors is seeking to stop population decline with programs aimed at helping people purchase homes and improve the house they have.
Supervisors voted Wednesday to look into a program that will provide funding to help potential homeowner obtain home loans and a second program that will help senior citizens paint the house they own.
“Population decline is a problem and we have to find ways to get people to stay here,” said Board of Supervisors President Johnny Newson. “This won’t stop it and it is a small number, but we’ve got to start somewhere and this is a start.”
The program will initially be managed by the county’s ARPA consultant Andrew Smith. Smith came to the board with the idea and said these programs do qualify for ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds.
Smith said an entity would need to be found to manage the home rehabilitation programs. He said he would help those seeking money to obtain down payment loans and local banks would then package the mortgages and manage them.
The county will authorize $100,000 in ARPA funds to establish a Coahoma County Homeowner Down Payment Assistance Program by matching funds with the Mississippi Home Corporation’s Down-Payment Assistance Program. Under this program MS Home Corporation provides $7,000 and Coahoma County provides $7,000 for a total down payment on a home of $14,000. Smith said the program offers an additional $6,000 to teachers.
He said candidates would have to be screened and then qualify for a regular home loan from a bank for the remainder of their loan funding. Smith said the main problem is getting people to apply for the loans and provide the details and data banks need to approve a loan.
“We need to offer the program and if people don’t take advantage of it that’s it,” said Newson. “And then if they don’t come up with the details to qualify, they don’t qualify.”
The Coahoma County Elderly Homeowner (55 and above) Paint Program would authorize $150,000 in ARPA funding to develop and implement that program, and also establish criteria for eligible participating elderly homeowners.
“They would have to own their home and they would have to have stable credit,” said Smith. “The home could not be dilapidated and the work would have to add value to the home.”
Smith said both these programs would only take a few months to set up but the process could take a year or two.
Smith also asked supervisors to approve the Town of Coahoma’s request for $250,000 to assist five homeowners selected as participants in the HOME Reinvestment Act Homeowner Rehabilitation Program funded through the Mississippi HOME Corporation.
Smith is being paid $212,000 to manage the county's ARPA funds.
Coahoma is currently seeking to refurbish three homes, build a home and replace a mobile home through North Delta Planning and Development District (NDPDD). Smith said that program would not qualify for these funds.
Neither Smith nor Newson gave numbers on how many people would qualify or have their home improved.
Dist. 1 Supervisor Paul Pearson cautioned against getting people in the program expecting to be accepted and then dashing their hopes when they didn’t qualify.
“We need to help people in Coahoma and elsewhere and we are through North Delta (PDD),” said Pearson. “We also need to have programs that teach people about homeownership and how to maintain their home and their mortgage. To give people something and they end up losing it is not right and they will blame us for that if it happens.”
In other business
• Judge Burks Rogers approached the board seeking the renaming of a road after his dog. The road will be renamed from Roland Jones Road to Jekyll Cove.
• County Engineer Ken Weiland asked the board to approve a bid of $21,955 to bore under Friars Point Road and get water from Coahoma Community College to St. John’s Church.
Dist. 2 Supervisor pointed out the 2-inch line would get water to the west side of Friar’s Point Road.
• The board looked at accepting Diamond Ridge Road, but reminded homeowners they needed easements from all homeowners along the private road.
• Sheriff Charles Jones said a recent power outage at the Jail during a recent storm has pointed out the need for a generator maintenance agreement. The Justice Center has a generator, but not a contract to maintain or restore the generator if it is knocked off line.
• The board was set to approve the move of the Coahoma County Health Department to the hospital, but details of that agreement have not been finalized and will be brought before the board next month.
• The board entered executive session to discuss its current lawsuit with Data Peak. No action was taken after exiting executive session.
