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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 11/01/2012CITY OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD MINUTES REGULAR BOARD MEETING 281 N. College Ave. Fort Collins, Colorado November 1, 2012 4 to 6 p.m. Chair: Dan Byers Staff Liaison: Ken Waido 970-221-6753 City Council Liaison: Lisa Poppaw Board Members present: Dan Byers, Jeff Johnson, Karen Miller, Mike Sollenberger, Wayne Thompson Board Members absent: Troy Jones Staff present: Ken Waido Council Members present: Lisa Poppaw Other Staff present: Joe Frank; Kate Jeracki, Note Taker Guests: Marilyn Heller, League of Women Voters; Bryce Hach, Homeward 2020; Ray Roth, citizen Meeting called to order with a quorum present at 4:05 p.m. by Chair Dan Byers AGENDA REVIEW Approval of Minutes was moved until after the discussion with Councilmember Lisa Poppaw. PUBLIC COMMENT Bryce Hach discussed a recent Homeward 2020 initiative to bring together all the organizations addressing homelessness to discuss how we are providing services to get people out of being homeless. He said each group tends to see the multi-dimensional issue only through the lens of its individual mission statement, and distributed a report that outlined three conclusions from the initiative: 1. Lots of services are provided on the front end, while people are in a state of homelessness, but they have more impact when provided at the back end, when people have a place to live. 2 2. Northern Colorado needs a central intake system to help organizations cooperate to meet the needs of client with a single point of contact. This will depend on deploying compatible software at all the agencies. 3. Organizations really need to pool their resources, because funding is disjointed and the broad network of nonprofits wind up looking for money from many different sources. Hach also suggested that funders be pooled as well, to leverage available fund effectively. Dan Byers said that 10 minutes of public comment was not enough to cover the issue of homelessness, so he would like to invite Hach to address the Board at its December meeting. Hach and the Board agreed. DISCUSSION WITH CITY COUNCILMEMBER LISA POPPAW Lisa Poppaw thanked the Board for sending her timely memos on the issue of the Student Housing Action Plan. She said it was very helpful for Council to hear from boards and commissions, which are made up of community experts who have studied and discussed their issues. Poppaw outlined the process for most effectively communicating with City Council. In addition to sending memos to make the deadline of 2 p.m. on the Wednesday before the Tuesday meeting to be included in the meeting packet, she suggested addressing Council on relevant issues during the public comment portion of the meeting prior to an issue appearing on Council’s agenda to get it on the radar. She said that while the Affordable Housing Board has historically been absent from communicating with Council, there has been more outreach in the past year. Dan Byers pointed out that board members have heard that Council doesn’t think comments from AHB carry much weight, and he doesn’t want to be the board that always says no. Poppaw said that it is the Council’s prerogative to disagree with board/commission comments, and just because one councilmember feels that way isn’t a reason to stop communicating. She added that the board’s approach to the Student Housing Action Plan was good, pointing out what the board agreed with as well as disagreed with, and the Council heard the message. Poppaw is a member of the Futures Committee of Council, working to see how boards and commissions can become more relevant. She suggested more outreach to other boards and commissions, including the Fort Collins Housing Authority. Mike Sollenberger felt that developing too close a relationship with the Authority could create if not a conflict of interest the appearance of a conflict, because the Affordable Housing Board makes funding recommendations during the Competitive Process and FCHA is often an applicant. Other applicants would feel at a disadvantage. Dan Byers pointed out that the board does have liaisons to other boards and commissions, to be discussed later in a meeting for the coming year. 3 Poppaw also suggested the board become involved in the Office of Social Sustainability’s gap analysis conversation, to determine how CDBG dollars can be spent more effectively. Ken Waido reminded the board that the CDBG Commission also distributes more than $600,000 in human services funding for projects that the AHB does not review. Poppaw said the Council would have liked to hear input from the board on the budget offers for affordable housing funds. Mike Sollenberger said the board was just happy the Affordable Housing Fund wasn’t cut as in previous budgets and they didn’t think they could get any more. Joe Frank said that it might have be nice to say thank you for keeping the funds intact. Poppaw explained that changes can still be made before the second reading of the ordinance on November 20, so she recommended the board communicate its support to Council ahead of that date. Wayne Thompson said he felt there was a fundamental disconnect between boards and commissions and the Council. He said he expected more feedback from Council like in Loveland, where council members routinely stop by meetings to observe and take the temperature of board discussions. Poppaw said she did not want to come to meetings and tell the board what to do; the Council is sensitive to its members exerting undue influence on its advisory boards. So it is her policy to not attend board meetings until she is invited, as she was today. She added that she expects the AHB to become more relevant as the City moves more toward the triple bottom line with implementation of Social Sustainability policies. Poppaw said that will increasingly be the lens through which the City looks at everything, and the board should bear that in mind when making comments to Council. Dan Byers said the board will send a memo to Council about the budget stating their appreciation for leaving the funds for affordable housing intact before the second reading of the budget. The board thanked Poppaw for her time and promised to invite her back in the future. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the meeting of July 12, 2012, were approved as presented on a motion from Wayne Thompson, seconded by Mike Sollenberger, with Jeff Johnson abstaining. Jeff Johnson asked that Public Comment portion of the minutes from September 6, 2012, be amended to read: “Jeff Johnson said there is action currently pending at the state Division of Regulatory Affairs involving the CDC allegation that the CARE Housing mission statement is discriminatory.” Marilyn Heller asked that the same section be corrected to show that the complaint from the CDC was against the website of the Affordable Housing Coalition, not the League of Women Voters. 4 Under the discussion of the Student Housing Action Plan, Jeff Johnson asked that the minutes be amended to read: “Jeff Johnson said that the operations management plans should not be made available to the public for review and comment as part of the permitting process.” He also asked the section clarify that the collaborative process under SHAP includes many stakeholder in addition to the City and developers. Mike Sollenberger moved the minutes be approved as amended, Jeff Johnson seconded. The motion carried, with Karen Miller abstaining. The minutes of the meeting of September 20, 2012, were approved as presented on a motion by Wayne Thompson, seconded by Mike Sollenberger, with Karen Miller abstaining. Jeff Johnson asked that the discussion of Redevelopment Displacement Mitigation Strategies in the minutes of the October 4, 2012, meeting be amended to read: “Jeff Johnson said the economy of mobile homes as affordable housing may have run its course, due to the cost to upgrade aged infrastructure.” Kate Jeracki noted that the October 4 meeting was a regular meeting, not a special meeting as stated in the header. Dan Byers moved the minutes be approved as amended, Karen Miller seconded. The motion carried, with Wayne Thompson abstaining. NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OF BOARD’S 2013 WORK PLAN — The board reviewed the 2012 Work Plan. Ken Waido suggested deleting the item referring to a city-wide redevelopment relocation plan, since that will be completed in early 2013. Dan Byers suggested adding an item dealing with homelessness. Jeff Johnson agreed, referring to Bryce Hach’s earlier comments about the housing-first model of dealing with the underlying causes of homelessness. Joe Frank said there has been uncertainty about the role the AHB should play in the Homeward 2020 discussions, as well as the direction the organization will take after Hach leaves early next year. Mike Sollenberger said he was on the board of Homeward 2020, and suggested that the board will be involved through making recommendations for CDBG funding. He added that the issue of homelessness is complicated and amount of money needed to change it is significant, and it is important not forget the board has other constituents who need affordable housing alternatives. The issue of outreach to the Fort Collins Housing Authority was discussed, and what would constitute a conflict of interest. It was decided that instead of appointing a standing liaison to the FCHA, the board will review the agenda of upcoming meetings, and attend ad hoc when a relevant item is to be discussed. Members will also address City Council when issues arise, to let them know the board will be offering formal input. Mike Sollenberger suggested expanding the board’s focus on the work plan items regarding securing more permanent funding for affordable housing and working with 5 developers on incentives to build affordable projects. Ken Waido said that an analysis of the incentives already offered by the City showed that they are more than or equal to those available in other communities. Joe Frank said Council would be most interested in what we can do that doesn’t involve money. Sollenberger suggested the TOD overlay is doing good things, so that might be a model for affordable multifamily projects. Ken Waido will send a draft of the amended 2013 Work Plan to members for review ahead of the December meeting, when it must be adopted. UPDATE ON REDEVELOPMENT DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION STRATEGIES — Ken Waido said he will share his four-page memo to Council on the status of the project with the board once he has sent it to Council. He said the memo makes it clear that the strategies apply to displacement and relocation of all low-income residents by redevelopment, not just those from manufactured housing. SATISFACTION WITH STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES SURVEY — Ken Waido will be sending the survey out in about two weeks, and board members will have 10 days to respond. OLD BUSINESS PROVINCETOWNE COVENANTS — Ken Waido said that a letter has been sent to the FHA containing the new covenants written by the City’s legal staff to meet the requirements of the relevant citations, consistent with the recommend asking for approval. BOARD TURNOVER — Noting that Mike Sollenberger and Wayne Thompson will be leaving the board when their terms expire at the end of the year, Dan Byers asked about the status of finding new members. Ken Waido said Councilmembers Lisa Poppaw and Kelly Ohlson are interviewing candidates right now. They will make recommendations to the full Council for appointments and three new members – one to replace Ben Blonder, who resigned – will be seated in January. Jeff Johnson suggested the board invite Poppaw to a meeting early next year when the new members are on board. FUTURE MEETING AGENDAS At the Dec. 6 meeting, the Board will discuss: Redevelopment Displacement Mitigation Strategies Satisfaction with City Staff Support Services Survey Homeward 2020 2013 Work Plan -- Meeting adjourned at 6:02 p.m. by Chair Dan Byers. --