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04/21/1998 NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER April 21, 1998 Present: Mary Myhill Chair Howard Groth Vice-Chair Milly Joplin Board Member Mayme W. Hodges Board Member William Turner, Sr. Board Member Rev. William Graham Board Member Warren Hunt Board Member Vacant Seat Board Member Alan J. Ferri Housing & Urban Development Director Michael Holmes Housing & Urban Development Assistant Director Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter Absent: Bertha Kelley 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 - Approval of the Minutes Member Joplin moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 17, 1998, as recorded and submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #3 - Citizens to be Heard - None. ITEM #4 - Agency Presentation - None. ITEM #5 Subgrantee Monitoring Assignments As the NOFA (Notification of Funding Availability) has been issued, Housing & Urban Development Director Alan Ferri requested NAHAB (Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board) members not contact subgrantee agencies until the process in progress is complete. For the record, Member Groth reported that he serves on the CNHS (Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services) board. Mr. Ferri said Member Groth is not monitoring that agency but serves it in a different capacity. ITEM #6 Old Business a) Review of Application and Evaluation forms Under recommendation from the TRC (Technical Review Committee), Mr. Ferri said one minor change was made to the evaluation form regarding the summary checklist prepared by staff. He suggested board members discuss the form after this year’s evaluation process is completed. Mr. Ferri reviewed the substantial revenue cuts in future federal grants. It was questioned where tax dollars paid by the community will be redirected. Mr. Ferri said Congress is not considering the restoration of current funding but is looking at increasing tax credits that benefit large multi-family rental complexes. Additional funding for low income home ownership is not being considered. b) Funding Policy Changes It was noted CSF (Community Service Foundation) Executive Director Jerry Spilatro’s had opposed NAHAB’s recommendation to limit funding requests to an agency’s average expenditures during the previous 3 years. Mr. Ferri recommended delaying implementation of the policy until after the current funding cycle when NAHAB members can discuss Mr. Spilatro’s concerns further. Concern was expressed regarding this postponement as it was felt the change would have resulted in a more sensible allocation of funds, better NAHAB oversight in the actual distribution of funds, and addressed problems caused when agencies overstate their needs and qualified agencies are denied the use of those funds. In response to a concern, Mr. Ferri said staff will distribute, in a more timely manner, financial statements submitted by subgrantee agencies. It was noted NAHAB’s recommendation had been tabled on March 17, 1998. Discussion ensued regarding parliamentary procedure. It was felt the issue had been tabled with the understanding the board had adequate time to discuss the issue further and to accomplish these changes to meet board concerns during the current funding cycle. Mr. Ferri had not forwarded NAHAB’s recommendation to the City Commission as support for the change had waned after Mr. Spilatro’s had expressed his concerns. The City Commission must approve all board recommendations. It was felt this issue should have been resolved in a more timely manner. Mr. Ferri recommended delaying resolution of this issue to consider all consequences of the change. He said it would be unfair to subgrantee applicants for City Commission approved rules to be changed during the funding process. It was noted the board had requested data on the subgrantee agency performance average during the previous 3 years in order to evaluate the proposal. It was stated the board had recommended the change based on staff input without community deliberation. Consensus was to agenda further discussion on imposing funding request limits for October 20, 1998. c) Letter from NAHAB to City Manager Reference was made to the draft of a letter from the board requesting the City Manager reconsider the cancellation of C-View TV’s broadcast of NAHAB meetings. Member Hodges moved for NAHAB to send the proposed letter, typed on board stationery, to the City Manager. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. d) Vacancy due to resignation of Shirley Moran, Provider of Affordable Housing Mr. Ferri reported that he had discussed with the City Clerk the possibility of appointing Member Groth to complete former Member Moran’s term and appointing another citizen to the East Clearwater seat now filled by Member Groth. The Legal Department is considering whether term limits relate to the seat or to the member. e) Consolidated Plan Time Table Mr. Ferri reviewed the FY 1998/99 Consolidated Plan Process Schedule: 1) April 3, 1998 - NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability); 2) April 8, 1998 - Technical Assistance Meeting; 3) April 14, 1998 - Housing Public Meeting; 4) April 16, 1998 - Homeless Public Meeting; 5) April 21, 1998 - Economic Development Public Meeting; 6) April 23, 1998 - Special Needs Population Public Meeting; 7) May 8, 1998 - Application Due Date; 8) May 21, 1998 - Site Visits; 9) May 26, 1998 - Subgrantee Public Presentation; 10) May 27, 1998 - NAHAB Evaluations; 11) May 29, 1998 - TRC Evaluations; 12) June 12, 1998 - Publish Consolidated Plan; 13) June 13, 1998 - Public Comment Period Begins; 14) July 13, 1998 - Public Comment Period Ends; 15) July 16, 1998 - City Commission Presentation & Public Hearing; and 16) August 15, 1998 - Submission to HUD. Evaluation forms will be distributed to board members prior to the May 21, 1998, site visits which depart City Hall at 8:00 a.m. Lunch will be included. Board members can ask further questions of the applicants at the May 26, 1998, subgrantee public presentations that begin in City Commission Chambers at 7:00 p.m. The May 27, 1998, evaluations are scheduled between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in City Commission Chambers. Board members can complete their evaluation forms ahead of time. Staff will be available to address points of clarification Mr. Ferri requested members not complete the forms prior to the public presentations. TRC members will be invited to the site visits and public presentations. Neither board will receive data on the other board’s ratings before the evaluation forms are due. ITEM #7 New Business - None. ITEM #8 Announcements a) Pending Vacancies Member Kelley has indicated she will not ask for reappointment to her seat which represents the Real Estate industry. Mr. Ferri requested board members send to the City Clerk their recommendations for a replacement. Citizens can serve on only one City board at a time. He will ask the Greater Clearwater Board of Realtors to post this vacancy in the organization’s newsletter. ITEM #9 Next Regular Meeting The meeting is scheduled for May 19, 1998, City Commission Chambers at 10:00 a.m. ITEM #10 Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:39 a.m.