DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Verónica R. Soto, FAICP, Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUMMARY:
Director to report updates on Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Programs
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Each month the Director prepares a report on program updates directly affecting the Housing Commission and its charge.
ISSUE:
Topics to be discussed are: (a) Follow up to Questions Asked During Commission Meeting on June 23, 2021; (b) Housing Tax Credit Policy updates; (c) FY 2022 City Budget Process Update; (d) Subcommittee Update; (e) Upcoming Meetings
a) Follow up to Questions Asked During Commission Meeting on May 26, 2021
During the June 23, 2021 meeting, Commissioners asked one (1) question. Staff’s response to the question is attached.
b) Housing Tax Credit Policy Update
Every two years, staff update’s the City’s Housing Tax Credit Policy that governs the issuance of Resolutions of Support or No Objection for applicants seeking Housing Tax Credits (HTC) from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). The policy outlines the scoring criteria to be used for considering applications as well as the minimum requirements for developers seeking a Resolution of Support or No Objection. The updated policy will be considered by City Council in October or November.
NHSD will collect input from HTC practitioners, CHDOs, Housing Commissioners, City Council Members, and the public to inform the updated policy. NHSD will schedule 3 developer HTC practitioner focus groups and one meeting with CHDOs. The goal of these focus groups is to work with practitioners to find a balance between city priorities, the state’s rules, and what is feasible in today’s market. These meetings will take place in August and September. Staff will meet individually with City Council Members to discuss their priorities for the HTC policy. NHSD will release a SA Speak UP survey to understand what the public values especially the kinds of resident services offered and tenant protections. The survey will be distributed on social media, through service providers, Homeowners Associations, and Neighborhood Organizations. NHSD has asked the Strategic Housing Implementation Plan (SHIP) stakeholders to share the survey with their networks. Finally, a draft of the policy will be available for public comment in September. The survey and policy will be open for two weeks and posted on the City’s website.
Staff will provide an update during the September Housing Commission meeting.
c) FY 2022 City Budget Process Update
Following the FY 2022 Budget priority setting session on June 25, 2021, NHSD presented its Proposed Budget at the City Council B Session on August 18. The public can learn more about the proposed budget by attending their district budget town hall meeting or by joining a Public Hearing on September 8 or 14. The City Council will consider the FY 2022 Budget at the September 16 A Session.
d) Subcommittee Updates
Staff will provide an update on the status of the subcommittees. The Commission has established three subcommittees: Public Engagement & Outreach (PEO), Dashboard & Annual Report (DAR), and Agenda. Commissioners signed up for their desired committees, there is currently room for one more Commissioner on both the PEO and DAR subcommittees. Both the PEO and DAR subcommittees have begun meeting. The PEO subcommittee has room for five public representatives. Applications will be accepted through September 10. The Chair will select representatives from PEO and DAR to serve on the Agenda subcommittee. At the June 14th meeting of the Culture & Neighborhood Services Committee of City Council (CNSC), Councilmembers directed the commission to create a fourth subcommittee on renters’ issues. The subcommittees will be discussed in greater depth at an upcoming meeting of the Housing Commission.
i) Upcoming Meetings
The next regular meeting will be held on September 22, 2021.
ALTERNATIVES
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.