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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 03/10/2021 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING March 10, 2021 at 5:30 PM Remote/ZOOM due to COVID-19 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER • At 5:33PM the meeting was called to order by Josh Johnson. 2. ROLL CALL • Board Members Present o Olga Duvall o Steve Backsen o Ethnie Treick o Sara Maranowicz o Mike Kulisheck o Pat Hastings o Josh Johnson, Chair • Board Members Absent o Nick Verni-Lau o Sam Stoltz • Staff Members Present o Adam Molzer, Staff Liaison, CDBG Commission – City of Fort Collins o Beth Rosen, Social Sustainability Department – City of Fort Collins o Ingrid Decker, City Attorney’s Office – City of Fort Collins o Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Sustainability Department – City of Fort Collins For further information, details and insight, and audio recording, resources are available by contacting the CDBG Commission staff liaison. 3. AGENDA REVIEW Josh Johnson read remote session instructions for the Community Development Block Grant Commission (“CDBG”) and public attendees. It was noted that nominations for Chair and Vice Chair would be added to the agenda. Adam Molzer reviewed agenda. The Commission accepted the agenda with this modification. DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 2 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Diane Cohn from the Affordable Housing Board was in attendance. She shared that she was attending to represent AHB and hear the housing presentation 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – February 10, 2021 Regular Meeting Pat Hastings moved to approve the minutes. Olga Duvall seconded approval. Motion approved with roll call. Mike Kulisheck abstained. Passed unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS CDBG CV Round 2 Funding Update Beth Rosen • Beth Rosen provided an update on the CDBG-CV award of $400,000 to Neighbor to Neighbor. She shared that after the Commission made recommendations, Neighbor to Neighbor disclosed they are working with Larimer County to disperse $9.6MM in funds from the Federal Treasury. This is in addition to funding awarded from the State of Colorado for Emergency Housing Assistance Payment. Neighbor to Neighbor’s priority is to spend those two funds first in 2021 and they do not know if and/or when they will be ready to deploy the CDBG-CV funds. • The shelter programs needed the allocation immediately to continue emergency sheltering. • The City’s Recovery Team met and have decided to move forward with recommendations as is, but hold off on contracting with Neighbor to Neighbor for the CDBG-CV funds. • If rent assistance is no longer a need, the most equitable way to redistribute those funds would be to open a new application with new guidelines letting all eligible nonprofits have a new opportunity to apply. If necessary to redeploy, the Commission will be informed of next steps for making a funding recommendation. 7. LEARNING SERIES PRESENTATION Conflict of Interest Policy Ingrid Decker – Senior Assistant City Attorney • Ingrid Decker provided an overview of the City Attorney’s staff structure, City Charter and City Code (available on the City Clerks’ website), and the Fort Collins’ Conflict of Interest Policy. • The Charter describes how the City Council may establish Boards and Commissions and limits what Council and Boards can do. • The City Regulations Manual should be the first reference should there be questions about how boards and its members should conduct business. • Conflicts of Interest is a legal issue that comes up frequently. There are two kinds of interests to watch for -- financial interest and personal interest. Ingrid provided some examples. DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 3 • If you or relative has a conflict of interest, you cannot vote on an issue; attempt to influence; or otherwise participate in that decision in any manner. • A conflict of interest must be disclosed. A copy of the disclosure form is available in the Boards and Commissions Manual or the City Clerk’s office. • If you think you have a conflict, review the Charter and Code language (available online) and if you are unsure, talk through it through with the Staff Liaison (Adam Molzer) or Ingrid Decker. If you decide there is a conflict, file a disclosure statement with the City Clerk’s Office. • Do not communicate with or try to influence the Board in any way on the item or issue for which you have a conflict. • Olga Duvall asked if her employment at the Salvation Army in Loveland, which is a separate branch from the Salvation Army in Fort Collins, poses as a conflict of interest. Ingrid explained that it doesn’t sound like there is a true conflict of interest because she is not an employee of the direct branch that is going to apply for funding. If she has concern that her expertise can influence other members decisions, she can personally decide to excuse herself from voting. • Adam would like to know in advance if any Commission members will be opting out of any of the proposals up for consideration. Affordable Housing Sue Beck-Ferkiss & Beth Rosen • Sue Beck-Ferkiss and Beth Rosen provided a presentation of goals, desired outcomes and how to navigate the proposals for housing. • The lower end of the Continuum of Housing Affordability is getting hit hard by COVID so it’s important to have good housing options for people to stabilize their lives. • Sue provided an overview of the 2020 Income levels that the City is targeting (80% is maximum that qualifies for any affordable housing). The average household size is 2.3 people. • The 30% AMI units are the hardest to build and sustain. • Guiding plans and policies that inform City priorities include: the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan, Housing Strategic Plan, and the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan. o Consolidated Plan Goals: Increase the supply of affordable housing units, provide emergency sheltering and services, and increase access to services. Kept broad so that the projects that come in can fit, can include rental and for sale, we look to special populations, emergency services related to infection prevention and homeless prevention, and financial assistance and case management. DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 4 o Housing Strategic Plan: everyone has a healthy, stable housing they can afford. Difference from the Consolidated Plan is that it is a systems approach to the whole housing spectrum including affordable housing and other types of housing. Centered in equity for all, leading with race. The new strategic plan has guiding principles to help support a holistic approach to evaluating overall priorities for the entire housing system.  Of note to the Commission: building on existing plans and policies, focus direct investment on the lowest income levels, and make decisions for impact, empowerment and systems.  For affordable housing, it maintains the 10% goal at 2040.  Continues the four objectives of the affordable housing strategic plan. Fifth pillar refines and expands development incentives, new funding sources, and new partnerships. o Affordable Housing Strategic Plan: increase inventory of affordable rental units, preserve the long-term affordability and physical condition of existing housing stock, increase housing and supportive services or people with special needs, and support opportunities to obtain and sustain affordable home ownership. Greatest needs:  Renters have less housing options that are affordable in our community. The biggest need is in 0-30% AMI range and biggest mismatch is in the 61-80% AMI.  For sale housing, there is very little inventory in the community that is affordable to 60% or less. o Northfield Affordable Housing is coming back with a request for a second round of funding for their affordable rental housing project. Their market study results impacted the entire distribution of rents across all units. Their presentation will explain more about their request for additional funds. o 2021 Financial Resources: There is $3.1M of funding and $2.7M in requests. Beth has done some primary work based on eligible uses or the different types of requests. It is possible to fully fund every application, if the commission determines that every application warrants full funding. No projects lost the funding they needed last year. • Every source of funds has its own requirements. Beth provided an overview of what can be funded under CDBG, HOME, and AHF. • Beth provided an overview of the application components, staff summary, and affordable housing guidance chart that is provided to the CDBG Commission and Affordable Housing Board to help make educated decisions. • Programs where funds are allocated back, such as the Larimer Home Improvement Program (not an applicant his year), reduced funding means fewer households served. • Development projects, the project can’t go forward until they have secured the full DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 5 funding needed from all funding sources. For those types of projects, it’s always best to consider funding the full amount requested in the application. • Pat Hastings asked for clarification on how requests fit into housing versus human service – example, Neighbor to Neighbor rent assistance. Beth explained that housing projects relate to increased inventory of units, whereas rent assistance does not. In addition, HUD defines rent assistance as a public service. Pat asked about the Larimer Home Improvement Project (LHIP) and how that gets defined under housing. Beth explained that LHIP fits under one of the housing strategic goals to support low-income homeowners retain and sustain their housing. Through LHIP, homeowners can request assistance for emergency repairs or accessibility improvements – this becomes an investment directly into the unit. • Montava / Land Bank: The City has an option to buy five acres of land at Montava, a development in Northeast Fort Collins. Staff would like to ask the Commission to make a recommendation (after deliberation of all affordable housing projects) to use the remaining funds to purchase the five acres for allocation to the land bank. o Beth and Sue explained that this purchase must meet all land bank requirements and meets an identified City need that doesn’t create competition with partners. o Given the unusual nature of this request, staff fielded questions raised by the Commission members to help them better understood the request to make a recommendation to Council. o Questions raised regarded:  Analysis for affordable housing units  What happens if the land is not purchased with these excess funds  Inventory of units and timing of when these units would be available  Affordable Housing Board participation in the recommendation o Sue will send a memo to the CDBG Commission and AHB in advance of the Housing Presentation Meeting and members can then determine if they want to make a decision for recommendation either during Housing Deliberation, consider at a separate meeting, or not consider at all. o Beth asked if the Commission would prefer if there was an actual recommendation from the AHB regarding this project (the AHB is not yet aware of this request for funding and they don’t usually make recommendations for funding). DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 6 8. NEW BUSINESS a. Grant Funding Protocol Adam Molzer • Competitive Process Workbook – New this year, staff created this workbook as a tool to lay out the projects for both Housing and Human Service. It includes staff guidance and pages to capture notes with the hope that this is helpful for the Commission in scoring and making recommendations. • There are 45 Human Service project requests totaling $1.94M, and $1.1 available for funding ($800,000 gap). • Next meeting on March 24 will be a joint session with the Affordable Housing Board. Votes will not be taken, it’s open to public, and agencies will be present. • The April 7 meeting is a regular session to workshop through each project, identify questions to take back to the agencies. This is generally a longer meeting. • In 2019, the CDBG commission worked with City staff to develop a new scoring process, based on percentages, to support human service project deliberations. • Adam requested that the committee reflect and share feedback on this format and if the committee would like to continue for FY21 deliberations. • Commission members shared that the colored bands are useful for ranking and creates some dialogue during deliberation but would like to remove the percentages. • Adam will amend the Protocol and present it back to the committee to review and provide additional feedback / suggestions. 9. COMMISSION MEMBER REPORTS None 10. STAFF REPORTS None 11. OTHER BUSINESS • Reimaging Boards and Commissions goes to City Council on March 16. CDBG Commission will be the Human Service and Housing Funding Board (this change will take effect in late April). • City Clerk’s New City Campus charette has been postponed until further notice. • Budgeting for Outcomes in underway for the 2022 budget. Social Sustainability has requests for affordable housing and systems approaches to childcare. Adam will include an offer to recommit $250,000 for Human Service funds. DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 3 /10/2021 – MINUTES Page 7 12. NEXT MEETING a. Wednesday, March 24, 2021 | 5:30pm | Remote/Online Via Zoom 13. ADJOURNMENT Josh Johnson adjourned meeting at 7:37 PM. Minutes were finalized and approved by the CDBG Commission on ____________________ City of Fort Collins Staff Liaison: ____________________________________________ Adam Molzer DocuSign Envelope ID: 326949AB-2740-49C2-B10D-11F670B56045 April 7, 2021