To: Gary L. Goetzinger, Finance Committee Chairperson
From: Samuel E. Muma, Treasurer
title
RE: Approval of a grant renewal from Rocket Community Fund, in the amount of $200,000.00, to fund a Tax Foreclosure Outreach Specialist position in the Genesee County Office of Treasurer with the grant commencing on October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027; this position will continue to promote the Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE), also known as the poverty exemption, in Genesee County
recommendation
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED:
The requested action of the Board of Commissioners is to accept the renewal grant in the amount of $200,000 from Rocket Community Fund to fund a position to promote the Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE) program within Genesee County. The grant will cover the period of October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027.
BACKGROUND:
In November 2025, the Treasurer’s office was awarded a grant for $100,000 from Rocket Community Fund to increase awareness of the poverty exemption, also known as Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE) in Genesee County. A mission of Rocket Community Fund is to strengthen homeownership and in 2025 they extended their grants into communities outside the City of Detroit and Wayne County. The Treasurer’s office was able to partially fund a position with the $100,000 grant received last year with the remaining cost being funded through the DTRF.
DISCUSSION:
Over the last 12 months, the individual funded by the grant has been to several community events and visited every senior center in Genesee County in order to spread awareness of the HOPE program or poverty exemption. We have mailed out hundreds of applications and provided assistance in completing the exemption form to over a hundred taxpayers. Throughout Genesee County, we assisted in 77 taxpayers being granted the poverty exemption, with a majority of them within the City of Flint. We are asking the Board of Commissioners to accept this $200,000 grant from Rocket Community...
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