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06/17/1997 NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER June 17, 1997 Present: Mayme W. Hodges Chair Howard Groth Vice-Chair Rev. William Graham Board Member Milly Joplin Board Member Bertha Kelley Board Member Mary Myhill Board Member William Turner, Sr. Board Member Alan J. Ferri Housing & Urban Development Director Michael Holmes Housing & Urban Development Assistant Director Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter Absent: Shirley Moran Board Member Warren Hunt Board Member The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #2 - Consolidated Plan Document Review CHUD (Clearwater Housing & Urban Development) Director Alan Ferri reviewed the Consolidated Plan which outlines Clearwater’s plans for allocating Federal and State funds, identifies impediments to fair housing, and requests a designation of a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area with borders similar to the Brownfield and Weed and Seed areas (West to Fort Harrison Avenue - East to Missouri Avenue and Betty Lane - North to Stevenson’s Creek - South to Belleair Road). Coordination between programs, encouraged by US HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), will allow more flexibility, benefit, and impact. NAHAB (Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board) participated in the 2 month process to develop the plan. Mr. Ferri invited public Input, indicating people have 30 days to submit written comments to be included with the Plan when it is submitted to US HUD. A public hearing addressing the Consolidated Plan will be held at the July 17, 1997, City Commission meeting. Mr. Ferri reviewed the applicants for FY (fiscal year) 1997/98 CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), HOME, and SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) funding and the combined NAHAB and TRC (Technical Review Committee) scores. For Code Enforcement: 1) 153.67 - Community Response Team - $88,000 For Fair Housing: 1) 189.23 - Community Services Foundation - $10,000 For Economic Development: 1) 149.41 - CNHS (Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services - $92,964; and 2) 109.4 - Career Options, Inc. - $100,000. For Housing Programs: 1) 176.66 - Homeless Emergency Project - $100,000; 2) 174.43 - Community Services Foundation - $192,825; 3) 170.17 - Tampa Bay CDC - $175,000; 4) 168.81 - Community Services Foundation - $10,000; 5) 167.4 - CNHS - Home Ownership - $624,875; 6) 163.77 - CNHS - Housing Rehabilitation - $288,075; 7) 136.51 - Affordable Housing Ventures - $110,000; 8) 134.16 - Gulfcoast Legal Aid - $10,000; and 9) 113.34 - Habitat for Humanity - $50,000. For Public Facilities: 1) 175.43 - Community Services Foundation - $192,315; 2) 160.73 - Partners in Self-Sufficiency - $30,000; 3) 142.57 - Community Pride Child Care - $20,000; 4) 118.5 - AIDS Service Association - $47,000; 5) 115.96 - Head Start - $50,000; 6) 115.77 - Family Resources - $54,970; 7) 110.5 - YWCA - $14,685; 8) 101.49 - RCS - $114,000; and 9) 68.57 - Ervin’s All American Youth Club - $78,550. For Public Services: 1) 185.83 - Partners in Self-Sufficiency - $40,000; 2) 170.69 - Salvation Army - $50,613; 3) 165.63 - Pinellas Opportunity Council - $29,894; 4) 147.83 - Girls Inc. of Pinellas - $25,500; and 5) 137.89 - Boys & Girls Clubs - $20,000. Programs to be recommended to the City Commission for funding scored at least 149.1 out of a possible 200 points. It is recommended that remaining funds of $3,890 be awarded to partially fund a Boys & Girls Clubs’ program which had the next highest score. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said funds can be recaptured during the fiscal year for their planned use. Mr. Ferri thanked NAHAB, TRC members, and staff for their efforts at making the process successful. It was indicated the agencies had complimented staff for their assistance. Chair Hodges stated she had not participated in the scoring process. It was felt the public should be made aware of programs that did not receive funding. Mr. Ferri suggested low scoring agencies are aware of other local funding sources. ITEM #3 - Board Chair Elections Member Joplin moved to nominate Member Myhill as Chair. The motion was duly seconded. Chair Hodges moved to nominate Member Groth as Chair. The motion was duly seconded. Member Graham moved to bring the nominations to a close. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Upon the vote for Board Chair being taken, Members Myhill and Groth and Chair Hodges voted for Member Groth, and Members Turner, Kelley, Graham, and Joplin voted for Member Myhill. Member Myhill was elected NAHAB Chair. Member Joplin moved to nominate Member Groth as Vice-Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #4 - Old Business Concern was expressed regarding the recommendation to award City programs $965,000 in FY 1997/98. Mr. Ferri said all funded programs are subject to the same oversight, rules, and regulations. In January 1997, the City Commission had voted to set aside $540,000 for the development of affordable rental housing. Concern was expressed funds are not reaching the community efficiently if approximately $856,000 will rollover this year. Mr. Ferri said the majority of rollover funds are designated for housing activities. He anticipated next year’s rollover will be dramatically reduced due to housing developments. He indicated some agencies requested more than they could use and have not been effective in spending their funds. He suggested limiting ongoing housing or economic development activities to a maximum increase of 10% above an agency’s average performance during the previous 3 years. ITEM #5 - New Business It was recommended the board review the form used to evaluate programs for funding. It was suggested that standards be established for accurate and consistent scoring. It was indicated some members base scores on personal knowledge and research. Concern was expressed during the last process, each board member had to evaluate 27 agencies and answer approximately 1,000 questions. It was stated relevant information is difficult to locate in the applications. Discussion ensued regarding the purpose of some questions. Mr. Ferri suggested the forms could be redesigned to require applicants to provide specific information used in the scoring process. It was suggested a Work Session be scheduled to review the form. Mr. Ferri said NAHAB members are provided a great deal of information before they make recommendations on the distribution of more than $3-million in public funds. He said more than 100 people were involved in the last process to allocate sparse resources in an open, fair, and objective manner. He invited input for a revision which he will present to the board in October. ITEM #6 - Announcements a) Next Scheduled Regular Meeting The next meeting is scheduled on July 15, 1997. Chair Hodges invited the public to attend the June 26, 1997, North Greenwood Task Team Meeting at the Martin Luther King Center at 6:30 p.m. ITEM #7 - Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 10:46 a.m.