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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHousing Catalyst - Minutes - 03/17/2022 Housing Catalyst Board of Commissioners Minutes – March 17, 2022 I. Attendees Commissioners: Cathy Mathis-Chair, Jennifer Wagner-Vice Chair, David Bye, Emily Francis, Ann Green, Lizette Mill, Hep Wilkins Staff: Julie Brewen, Michele Christensen, Justin Corey, Tonya Frammolino, Julie Francis, Rachel Gaisford, Carly Johansson, Angelika Lintner, Traci McGraw, Nichole Rex, Nick Verni-Lau Guests: Attorney Jim Martell, Meaghan Overton (City of Fort Collins) II. Call to Order Chairperson Cathy Mathis called the meeting to order at 7:35 am. III. Mindful Moment Chief Executive Officer Julie Brewen led the group in a Mindful Moment. IV. Citizen Input There was no citizen input. V. Approval of Minutes from March 17, 2022 Board Meeting With one minor revision, Commissioner Hep Wilkins moved to approve the minutes of the March 17, 2022 meeting, Commissioner Ann Green seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously. VI. Action Items a. Resolution Approving Moving to Work Chief Operating Officer Michele Christensen provided an update on the Moving to Work (MTW) contract. Housing Catalyst was recently selected as one of 29 Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to participate in the MTW demonstration expansion. The first step in moving forward in this program is to complete and execute the MTW Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) Amendment, which sets the terms of participation and details requirements and covenants to be followed. The next step will be for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to sign off, at which point we become an official MTW organization. Housing Catalyst will begin by reviewing the number of landlords currently participating, the geographical area for potential housing, and the number of new landlords to potentially be recruited. These are items already being tracked and reported by Housing Catalyst, which will be helpful with moving forward. Ms. Brewen pointed out that we will begin with low hanging fruit to make sure of success with each implementation and build from there. Ms. Christensen noted that there is quite a bit of preparatory work to be done before full implementation; it is expected that full implementation might occur by the end of 2022. Staff recommends that the Board of Commissioners approve Resolution HC-RES-2022- 03-01 Approval of the Moving to Work Annual Contributions Contract. Commissioner Jennifer Wagner moved to approve Resolution HC-RES-2022-03-01. Commissioner Wilkins seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously VII. Staff Updates a. Development Report Ms. Brewen noted that Development's 5-Year Project Plan and Milestones documents are included as informational in the meeting packet. 1. Development 5-Year Project Plans (Mar 2022) Ms. Brewen noted that the Development Committee has had discussions about preserving the Fox Meadow apartments, located at the intersection of Timberline and Horsetooth Roads, where 50% of the units are considered affordable under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Housing Catalyst has been approached by developers for a potential partnership. One of the developers is in the final and best offer round for selection. Housing Catalyst may be interested in working with them if they can preserve the current affordable units and possibly increase the number of units at 80% Annual Median Income (AMI).\ 2. Development Milestones 2022-2023 (Mar 2022) Manager of Real Estate Development Carly Johansson noted that the Swallow renovation project continues to be about two weeks behind; however there has been quite a bit of work done to gain more control and bring issues up to date. 3. Scope of Work for Village on Bryan Renovation Senior Project Manager Nichole Rex gave a presentation describing the scope of renovation work scheduled to be done at the Village on Bryan. She described the benefits of the project, including increased accessibility and livability; preserving existing affordable housing; and site and system upgrades which will reduce energy consumption and lower utility and maintenance costs. She described the many projects to be undertaken as a part of the scope of work and shared a diagram indicating how the property will look once work is completed. Funding sources include the City of Fort Collins and owner equity. Work on the property is expected to begin in June of 2022 and be completed by May 2023. a. Finance Report 1. Finance & Audit Committee Charter Update Chief Financial Officer Tonya Frammolino provided an overview of the updated Audit & Finance Committee Charter. The goal of the Charter is to define the size of the Committee, how meetings will be structured, and the reporting requirements of the Committee. Ms. Brewen stressed that there is an understanding that this document is a bit aspirational, but it will help to provide an understanding of where the Committee is going and how to get up to speed with its full responsibilities. Ms. Frammolino outlined the Committee objectives, the flow of information through the organization to the Board, and resources that are available to the Committee. She discussed the criteria for Committee membership and meetings, record keeping and reporting criteria, and the roles and responsibilities of the Committee. The Audit & Finance Committee has done a full, detailed review of the Charter and is now requesting that the full Board review the document. Appropriate additional revisions will be made and the document finalized. The full final version of the Charter will be presented at a future meeting of the Board for approval. VIII. Legislative Issues/Updates a. Colorado Legislative Update Ms. Brewen noted that she will send out the Colorado bill tracker to Board members. Several issues are being tracked. b. National Legislative Update Ms. Brewen reported that there will be an increase in HUD spending, including the extension of the Violence Against Women Act. She will send information on the HUD spending plan to Board members. Ms. Brewen noted that she traveled to Washington DC last week for the NAHRO CEO interviews. While there, participants received a briefing on some behind the scenes activities. She noted that there is language in one particular bill that may make it easier for Housing Catalyst to better utilize special purpose vouchers. NAHRO is watching housing funding and legislation closely. c. Fort Collins City Council Legislative and Business Update City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Emily Francis reported that City Council is busy with the search for a new City Manager and will meet with candidates next week. She also noted that the land use code update discussions continue and will go to City Council in June for consideration. Ms. Francis noted that City Council has begun discussions about electric vehicle stations and requirements for parking spaces This is expected to be a big topic of conversation which will continue in April. Discussions are ongoing about the impact any requirements may have on housing. Ms. Francis noted that this is a significant learning curve for Council members. She thanked Housing Catalyst staff for input and technical experience on this topic. IX. Legal Issues Attorney Jim Martell noted that there are no legal issues. X. Other Business/Upcoming Events a. Development Committee – April 4, 2022 b. Finance & Audit Committee – March 21, 2022 c. Housing Catalyst Board of Commissioners – April 21, 2022 XI. Good News Ms. Brewen noted that a Good News section will be added to Board of Commissioner meeting agendas in order to point out and provide good news in the industry. This section will be primarily informational. XII. DISCUSSION TOPIC: Strategic Plan Goal 7 - Increase housing opportunities for residents of Fort Collins/Larimer County Ms. Brewen described the process for review and revision of the Strategic Plan that has been taking place over the last several months. Beginning with this meeting, one Goal from the Strategic Plan will be presented to the Board each month over the next several months. A timeline for goal review was presented. Ms. Christensen presented the Housing Assistance Programs department and its organizational structure. She noted that much of this new Goal currently lives in Goal 2 in the current Strategic Plan, however there was discussion and a decision to expand this into its own goal. She discussed the six proposed strategies to support this new goal. Participants were then split out into breakout rooms for discussion with staff. Each breakout room included a subject matter expert acting as moderator, and a note taker. When participants returned from the breakout rooms, the moderators from each room provided a summary of the discussion. Room 1 - Ms. Brewen noted that this group agreed that the goal looks good. It was agreed that there is a lot to learn on how the strategies intersect. Room 2 - Ms. Christensen reported that this group in general likes the strategies. One thing noted that may be missing is how to coordinate more organic efforts around affordable housing. The group also discussed how the new web site will be more user friendly. It was agreed that this is a very important goal. This group also discussed ideas for the Housing Catalyst Moving to Work program. Room 3 - Ms. Lintner noted that discussion in this group focused on Strategies 1 and 5 as well as possible additions. A summary of this discussion will be provided at the next meeting of this Board for acceptance of the Goal. XIII. Adjournment Chairperson Mathis adjourned the meeting at 9:26 am.