Finance and Administrative Services Department
DATE: May 20, 2026
TO: Council Finance Committee
FROM: Derek Rampone, Finance and Administrative Services Director Arn Andrews, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Proposed Changes to Council Policy D-13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program
RECOMMENDATION
Recommend that the City Council adopt revisions to Council Policy D- 13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program (Policy D-13).
INTRODUCTION
The Council Finance Committee is requested to review and provide a recommendation to the City Council on proposed revisions to Council Policy D-13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program. The proposed revisions are intended to improve program administration, clarify eligibility and loan provisions, address operational challenges identified during program implementation, and expand housing assistance for eligible City employees.
BACKGROUND
City Council Policy D-13 (Policy D-13) was originally adopted on December 2 , 2008 and was last modified on December 6, 2022. Policy D-13 establishes an employee homebuyer and relocation assistance program as a benefit for City employees.
Public- and private -sector employers throughout the Bay Area continue to face challenges attracting and retaining employees due, in large part, to the high cost of housing. The City of Mountain View has maintained employee housing assistance programs since 1995, beginning with a housing assistance program for Council Appointees and department heads, followed by a homebuyer assistance program established in 2008 to provide employees with down payment and/or closing cost assistance. The intent of these progra ms has been to support employee recruitment and retention by assisting employees in securing housing closer to their place of employment.
On May 14, 2019, the City Council approved the consolidation and enhancement of these programs through adoption of the current version of Council Policy D-13.
Proposed Changes to Council Policy D-13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program May 20, 2026
Since then, two Council Appointees and one department head have utilized the homebuyer assistance program. While the Policy has provided some meaningful recruitment and retention support, program administration has identified operational challenges and unintended barriers that limit broader use of the homebuyer assistance component.
The proposed updates to Council Policy D- 13 are intended to improve program administration, address implementation challenges identified through recent program use, and increase the amounts available as housing assistance benefits for eligible City employees. The proposed revisions are intended to strengthen the City’s ability to recruit and retain employees in a highly competitive and high-cost housing market.
DISCUSSION
In administering both the employee homebuyer assistance program and the relocation assistance program, staff identified several opportunities to clarify, modernize, and expand the Policy to better support employee recruitment and retention in a highly competitive housing market. Th e proposed revisions are intended to improve usability of the Policy, address operational challenges identified through recent implementation of the program, and expand access and flexibility for eligible employees.
Major proposed updates include the following:
1. Clarify and Reorganize Available Assistance Programs
The current structure of Policy D-13 can make it difficult to clearly identify the various assistance programs, eligibility requirements, and loan provisions available to employees.
Staff is propo sing revisions to reorganize and clarify Policy D -13 by establishing three clearly defined program categories:
a. General Employee Loan Program
b. First Responder Loan Program
c. Department Heads and Council Appointees Loan Program
The proposed revisions also reorganize loan terms, repayment provisions, relocation assistance, and program administration requirements into clearer sections for improved readability and administration.
Proposed Changes to Council Policy D-13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program May 20, 2026
2. Addition of a Definitions Section
Staff is proposing the addition of a Definitions section to provide greater clarity and consistency in administration of the Policy. Definitions are proposed for key terms , including:
• Eligible Participant
• First Responder
• Median Home Price
• Primary Residence
• Radius
• Separation from the City
The proposed definitions are intended to improve interpretation and consistent application of Policy provisions.
3. Establish a Participation Window Following Hire Date
To better align the Program with its intended recruitment and retention purpose, staff is proposing the addition of a requirement that eligible employees notify the City of their intent to participate in the Program within three years of their hire date and complete the loan issuance process within ninety (90) days following such notification.
Current employees employed as of the effective date of the updated Policy would similarly have three years from the effective date of the revised Policy to notify the City of their intent to participate.
4. Expand and Modernize Loan Program Provisions
Staff is proposing several revisions intended to improve program flexibility and usability, including:
• Transitioning loan maximums to percentages of the Mountain View median home price for certain employee categories;
• Establishing different loan assistance levels based on employee classification and geographic proximity to Mountain View;
• Clarifying eligible property types and occupancy requirements; • Allowing additional flexibility for subordinate lien positions, subject to City Manager approval and appropriate protections for the City’s financial interests; • Increasing allowable interest-only payment periods; and • Establishing a formal process for transferring an existing Program loan to a replacement eligible property.
These revisions are intended to improve employees’ ability to utilize the Program in the current housing market while maintaining prudent safeguards for the City.
Proposed Changes to Council Policy D-13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program May 20, 2026
5. Clarify Relocation Assistance Provisions
The proposed revisions clarify eligibility requirements, allowable reimbursement types, temporary housing provisions, and administrative requirements associated with the relocation assistance component of the Policy.
The proposed revisions also increase certain relocation assistance benefit amounts to better reflect current housing and moving costs in the Bay Area. In addition, the revisions establish a new relocation assistance provision for employees relocating from within 10 miles of Mountain View, expanding eligibility for partial moving expense reimbursement.
The revisions further clarify that relocation assistance is limited to an employee’s initial qualifying relocation associated with accepting employment with the City , must be utilized within one year of the employee’s appointment date, and may only be utilized one time during the employee’s tenure with the City.
6. Administrative and Operational Updates
Additional revisions are proposed to improve administration of the Program, including:
• Clarification regarding funding availability and Council appropriations; • Incorporation of GIS-based program boundary maps as the controlling reference for geographic eligibility;
• Clarification of repayment requirements following separation from the City; and • Consolidation of administrative authority and implementation guidelines under City Manager-approved procedures.
The proposed revisions are intended to improve the administration and usability of Policy D -13 while expanding housing assistance opportunities and maintaining appropriate financial safeguards for the City. The revisions are also intended to strengthen the City’s ability to recruit and retain employees in a highly competitive and high-cost housing market.
All proposed revisions are identified by underline and strikeout in the attached redline version of Council Policy D-13 (Attachment 1).
NEXT STEPS
Following finalization of the proposed revisions and recommendation by the Council Finance Committee, the updated Policy will be presented to the City Council for consideration and approval. Upon Council approval, staff will develop and implement detailed administrative guidelines for both the Department Head and Council Appointee Program and all other employees' program to ensure consistent administration and implementation of the revised Policy provisions.
Attachment: 1. Council Policy D-13, Mountain View Employee Homebuyer and Relocation Assistance Program (redline)