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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/16/2019 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 090, 2019, APPROPRAgenda Item 16 Item # 16 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 16, 2019 City Council STAFF Meaghan Overton, City Planner Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Policy and Housing Program Manager Katie Ricketts, Economic Health Analyst Cameron Gloss, Planning Manager Ingrid Decker, Legal SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 090, 2019, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue in the General Fund for Updating Policies, Codes and Regulations Affecting the Quality and Quantity of Affordable Housing in Fort Collins. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance, adopted on First Reading on July 2, 2019 by a vote of 6-0 (Gorgol recused). Appropriates unanticipated grant revenue awarded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) through its Health Disparities Grant Program (HDGP) to implement critical updates to policies, codes and regulations affecting the quality and quantity of affordable housing with a specific lens on reducing health inequities in Fort Collins. This housing affordability and health equity project will use CDPHE grant funds in the amount of $795,657 in reimbursable grant funding over a two-year grant cycle (State Fiscal Year 2020-2021). STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading. ATTACHMENTS 1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, July 2, 2019 (w/o attachments) (PDF) 2. Ordinance No. 090, 2019 (PDF) Agenda Item 15 Item # 15 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 2, 2019 City Council STAFF Meaghan Overton, City Planner Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Policy and Housing Program Manager Katie Ricketts, Economic Health Analyst Cameron Gloss, Planning Manager Ingrid Decker, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 090, 2019, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue in the General Fund for Updating Policies, Codes and Regulations Affecting the Quality and Quantity of Affordable Housing in Fort Collins. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate unanticipated grant revenue awarded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) through its Health Disparities Grant Program (HDGP) to implement critical updates to policies, codes and regulations affecting the quality and quantity of affordable housing with a specific lens on reducing health inequities in Fort Collins. This housing affordability and health equity project will use CDPHE grant funds in the amount of $795,657 in reimbursable grant funding over a two-year grant cycle (State Fiscal Year 2020-2021). STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The objective of this housing affordability and health equity project is to implement community-led policy, code, and regulatory changes to improve housing affordability in Fort Collins, particularly for community members who struggle to afford safe, stable, high quality housing. The Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and Healthy People 2020 all state that housing affordability and quality are critical components in health outcomes, and this grant project seeks to reduce health inequities in our community by addressing housing as an “upstream” determinant of health. Funding for this grant comes from the CDPHE Office of Health Equity’s Health Disparities Grant Program (HDGP). This grant is funded through Amendment 35 (Tobacco Tax) revenues. Attachment 1 is a memo from the Office of Health Equity, outlining the background of the Request for Applications for this grant, the review process, and the funding recommendations made to the State Board of Health in March 2019. Amount and Timing The City was awarded a total of $795,657 in reimbursable grant funding over a two-year grant cycle (State FY 2020-2021). The budget for each year is approximately $397,000. Year 1 (July 2019-June 2020) will focus on assessment, analysis and community engagement. Year 2 (July 2020-June 2021) will focus on code/policy writing, implementation and adoption of recommended changes. The timing of the grant funding aligns very well ATTACHMENT 1 COPY Agenda Item 15 Item # 15 Page 2 with the initial implementation of City Plan and the update of the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan beginning in 2019. Key Staff and Partners The City is the lead agency on this grant and is responsible for overall management and coordination of all grant activities, including any tasks completed with consultant support. Departments involved in this effort include:  Planning - lead, convener, organizer, public engagement, code changes  Finance - grant management, financial expertise, purchasing assistance  Social Sustainability - topic area expertise, policy coordination, public engagement, code changes The grant also requires cross-sector collaboration with outside organizations or entities who will receive funding through sub-grants with the City in approximately the amounts listed below and play a key role in the project:  Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, Built Environment Group -- $30,000  The Family Center/La Familia -- $5,000  The Family Leadership Training Institute -- $46,350  The Center for Public Deliberation at CSU -- $40,000 Each of these organizations is formally committed to the grant and has submitted a letter of collaboration to CDPHE. One of the first tasks associated with this grant will be a stakeholder analysis. Many different sectors (e.g., businesses and employers, developers, housing agencies, property managers/owners) will need to be involved in this project in a variety of capacities. While these stakeholders will not have responsibility for coordinating or managing the grant itself, their participation will be critical to the success of the project. Previous related Council Actions Several policy documents adopted by City Council within the last six years, including the City Strategic Plan (2018) and City Plan (2019), discuss the need for more affordable housing, both subsidized and unsubsidized. Further, several plans specifically mention a need to prevent displacement of vulnerable populations. This grant would provide significant funding to implement policy direction contained in:  Affordable Housing Redevelopment Displacement Mitigation Strategy (2013)  Housing Affordability Policy Study (2014)  Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (2015 with update beginning this year)  Social Sustainability Strategic Plan (2016)  City Strategic Plan (2018)  City Plan (2019) This grant is closely aligned with community, City and Council priorities, particularly in the Neighborhood Livability and Social Health Outcome Area. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The City has been awarded a state-funded grant, entitled Making Policy Together: A Community-Driven Approach to Improving Housing Affordability in Fort Collins. This grant will be administered on a reimbursement basis; funds will be spent and reimbursed from the General Fund on a monthly basis. The City will receive $397,828 in 2019 and $397,829 in 2020 (total grant award of $795,657). There is no financial impact to the City of Fort Collins, as there are no matching funds required. COPY Agenda Item 15 Item # 15 Page 3 ATTACHMENTS 1. Office of Health Equity Funding Recommendation Memo (PDF) 2. City of Fort Collins Grant Award Press Release (PDF) COPY -1- ORDINANCE NO. 090, 2019 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED GRANT REVENUE IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR UPDATING POLICIES, CODES AND REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN FORT COLLINS WHEREAS, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (“CDPHE”) has awarded the City a grant through its Health Disparities Grant Program (the “Grant”) to be used to update City codes, policies and regulations affecting the quality and quantity of affordable housing in the community (the “Project”); and WHEREAS, the Project will focus on health inequity with the goal of helping residents who may not be able to afford safe, stable, high quality housing and, as a result, are more likely to have health issues; and WHEREAS, the total amount of the Grant is $795,657 over two years (2019-2020 and 2020-2021); and WHEREAS, this Ordinance appropriates the Grant funds for the first year in the amount of $397,828; and WHEREAS, the Grant does not require the City to provide matching funds; and WHEREAS, the City will sub-grant a portion of the funding from the Grant to several outside organizations or entities that will be collaborating with the City on the Project, including Larimer County, the Family Center/La Familia, the Family Leadership Training Institute and Colorado State University; and WHEREAS, the City Manager will enter into a grant agreement with CDPHE and sub- grant agreements with each entity receiving funds from the City for the Project; and WHEREAS, this appropriation benefits public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Fort Collins and serves the public purpose of improving access to safe, stable, affordable housing; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits the City Council to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended the appropriation described herein and determined that this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the General Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the General Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year; and -2- WHEREAS, the City Council supports the Project as described herein. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated grant revenue in the General Fund the sum of THREE HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT DOLLARS ($397,828) for expenditure in the General Fund for updating codes, policies and regulations with regards to affordable housing. Section 3. That the City Manager shall report to Council no less frequently than annually during the life of the grant and at least once after the conclusion of the grant term regarding the status and outcome of the work completed under the grant and related projects. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 2nd day of July, A.D. 2019, and to be presented for final passage on the 16th day of July, A.D. 2019. ______________________\____________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 16th day of July, A.D. 2019. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk