Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 10/11/2012COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION FUNDING DELIBERATIONS 215 N. MASON ST., FORT COLLINS MINUTES OCTOBER 11, 2012, 5:30 p.m.. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Kay Rios, Chair Anita Basham Robert Browning Catherine Costlow Jamaal Curry Margaret Long Emily Sander Kristin Stephens COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Gordon Coombes STAFF PRESENT: Mackenzie Cartin, Intern; Heidi Phelps; Beth Rosen; Sharon Thomas; Ken Waido OTHERS PRESENT: Ray Roth, citizen; Julie Brewen, Executive Director, Fort Collins Housing Authority; Jennifer Jones, Executive Director, SAVA; other citizens; Kate Jeracki, Note Taker The meeting was called to order by Chair Kay Rios at 6 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to allocate funds requested during the 2012 Fall Cycle of the Competitive Process. The Commission deliberated one Economic Development request; six Housing requests; and three Public Facility requests. ED-1 Fort Collins Local Development Company: Revolving Loan Funds for Start-up Companies -- $300,000 requested Anita Basham moved that the Commission award zero funding to ED-1. Margaret Long seconded. Basham said this request was not a high priority for CDBG funding. Long added that the proposal presentation had not been persuasive, and suggested that more tracking of the present program might produce more results. Kristen Stephens said that even though it was presented as providing jobs, those jobs were in high tech, not for those having a hard time finding any kind of work, and she questioned the actual impact of the proposal. Motion passed unanimously. Zero funding recommended. HO-1 City of Fort Collins Homebuyer Assistance program -- $50,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund Bob Browning moved the Commission fully fund HO-1. Emily Sander seconded. 2 Browning said he liked the flexibility of using Affordable Housing Funds to provide short-term funding to help get people into homes. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding recommended. HO-2 City of Fort Collins Homebuyer Assistance program -- $50,000 from HOME funds Bob Browning moved the Commission fully fund HO-2. Jamaal Curry seconded. Browning said this program has been doing a lot of good for a long time, and he liked that it is now helping with refinancing. [Money comes back into the program when people refinance and pay off their original HBA loans.] Curry said the Commission should always support homeownership. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding recommended. HO-3 Fort Collins Housing Authority: Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) for the CDDT Program -- $156,240 requested Emily Sander moved that the Commission fully fund HO-3. Margaret Long seconded. Sander said this proposal helps a vulnerable population, and she liked the inclusion of case management and other services that are important for success. Motion passed 7-0, with Kay Rios abstaining. Full funding recommended. HO-4 Fort Collins Housing Authority: Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) for the CDDT Program--Administrative Support -- $17,434 requested Emily Sander moved that the Commission fully fund HO-4. Bob Browning seconded. Sander said this money was necessary to support the program. Browning liked that the funds had to come out of the Affordable Housing Fund. Motion passed 7-0, with Kay Rios abstaining. Full funding recommended. HO-5 Housing Authority of the City of Loveland: Larimer Home Improvement Program -- $75,000 requested Kristen Stephens moved the Commission fully fund HO-5. Margaret Long seconded. Stephens said it was important to help low-income residents stay in the homes they already own by providing assistance with emergency repairs for safety issues, like water heaters. 3 Margaret Long said she was glad to hear that the program also funds energy efficiency services to mobile homes, which often have no other resources available. Motion passed 5-2, with Jamaal Curry abstaining, Bob Browning and Emily Sander opposed. Bob Browning moved to reduce funding for HO-5 to $67,721. Kay Rios seconded. Browning explained that the small reduction doesn’t affect the program, which has surplus funds available from previous years, and it balances the expenditures in the Affordable Housing Fund. Motion passed unanimously. Partial funding of $67,721 recommended. HO-6 Villages Ltd.: Property Acquisition -- $1,072,811 requested Bob Browning moved the Commission approve full funding for HO-6. Kristen Stephens seconded. Browning pointed out that the Affordable Housing Board had ranked this request as its first priority. It presents a unique opportunity to preserve 284 existing affordable housing units and the Commission should jump on it. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding recommended. PF-1 Respite Care: Life Skills Program Area for Teens with Developmental Disabilities -- $72,700 requested Bob Browning moved the Commission fully fund PF-1. Kristen Stephens seconded. Browning said Respite Care is a good program, and this is a good public facility project not in the housing arena. Stephens pointed out that this is the only child care program for children with disabilities, and they really need the space for older youth programming. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding recommended. PF-2 Sexual Assault Victim Center (SAVA): SAVA Center Capital Campaign -- $300,000 requested Anita Basham moved that the Commission fund PF-2 at the reduced amount of $200,000. Jamaal Curry seconded. Basham said she understood that in conversations with City staff, SAVA indicated that $200,000 would be acceptable to help with moving to a larger location. Curry said he supported the work the organization is doing for the population served. Margaret Long added that providing treatment for the incredible damage done to victims of sexual assault can save lives and money in other support programs. Kay Rios pointed out that the majority of SAVA clients are from Fort 4 Collins. Kristen Stephens said that SAVA is actively pursuing other funding, and with the whole community supporting it, the Commission should, too. Motion passed 6-2, with Bob Browning and Catherine Costlow opposed. Bob Browning moved the Commission reduce funding to PF-2 to $175,224. Kay Rios seconded. Browning said that while he is in favor of the program and hates to see the numbers reduced at all--given other priorities, the City does not have funds available to give that that large of an allocation to SAVA at this time. Margaret Long said she had concerns about that much of a cut, especially since the majority of SAVA clients are from Fort Collins. She wondered if it would be possible to reduce the amount Respite Care is requesting for furniture, so SAVA would have to take a smaller cut. Margaret Long offered a friendly amendment to reduce the proposed reduction of $24,776 by $15,000. Bob Browning did not accept the amendment. Kristen Stephens said she agreed with Browning. She did not want to see Respite Care funding reduced, and SAVA is seeking additional funding from other sources. She said she was in favor of the motion as it stands. Kay Rios also agreed. Motion passed 7-1, with Margaret Long opposed. Partial funding of $175,224 approved. PF-3 Turning Point Center for Youth and Family Development, Inc.: Wheelchair Accessibility -- $8,500 requested from CDBG funds Kristen Stephens moved the Commission approve full funding for PF-3. Anita Basham seconded. Stephens said this is very little money to provide something that is greatly needed. Bob Browning offered a friendly amendment to reduce the amount funded to $8,000, with the stipulation the money comes out of the Affordable Housing Fund. Kay Rios explained that the additional $500 was for an impact study required for federal CDBG funds but not for the City’s Affordable Housing Fund. Stephens and Basham both accepted the amendment. The amended motion passed unanimously. Funding for $8,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund recommended. Staff updated the draft Funding Matrix to reflect the CDBG Commission’s decisions. In response to a question from Anita Basham, Sharon Thomas explained that the final amounts in each HOME and CDBG subaccount had been redistributed to balance the final numbers. Bob Browning moved that the Commission approve the final Funding Matrix as presented. Kristen Stephens seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.