[ Council Communication ]  [Memo]  [Attachments]

Council Communication

Title:	Adoption of Housing Needs Analysis and Housing Action Plan; and Authority to proceed with hiring of a Full-Time Housing Coordinator.
Dept:	Administration
Date:	February 4, 2003
Submitted By:	Brian Almquist, Interim City Administrator, at the request of Councilor Cate Hartzell.

Synopsis:	held regarding the Housing Action Plan, and a request by the Housing Commission to create a permanent, full-time Housing Coordinator position. It was the consensus of the group that the Housing Action Plan be presented to the City Council for adoption by staff when final editing is complete, and that the Housing Coordinator position be filled as soon as possible as a permanent, full-time position.
Recommendation:	Councilor Cate Hartzell is requesting that the Housing Action Plan be adopted at the February 4 Council Meeting, and that the staff be directed to proceed with the hiring of a full-time Housing Coordinator position as soon as possible.
Fiscal Impact:	A part-time position was included in the current budget for six months at $40,000 including materials and services costs. There is a sufficient appropriation to proceed with hiring at this time if the council votes to make this position a permanent, full-time position. The full-year costs for 2003-04 are $80,400 ($63,100 for salary and benefits, and $17,300 for materials and services costs). If a full-time secretary is deemed necessary, the additional cost would be $41,400 ($38,100 for salary and benefits, and $3,300 for materials and services). The total cost including secretarial services would be $121,800.
Background:	The issue of affordable housing was addressed at the joint City Council/Housing Commission study session of January 22, 2003. The Needs Analysis described Ashland as a community where affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce for all segments of the population. It was recommended that the City, through a Housing Coordinator, would be in a position to take the necessary steps to facilitate the process of applying for housing development funds by non-profit housing development organizations and other eligible organizations. A draft Job Description, salary reviews for a similar position, and the Housing Commission's recommendations are attached.

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City of Ashland Housing Commission
January 27, 2003

Dear Mayor DeBoer and City Councilors,

At its January 22nd meeting, the Housing Commission unanimously approved the following recommendations:

1. That the City Council, at its February 4th meeting, formally adopt both the Housing Needs Analysis, submitted to you by EcoNorthwest in March, 2002, and the Housing Action Plan, submitted by Sextant Consultants in October 2002.

2. That the Council direct City staff to hire, as soon as possible, a full-time, permanent staff person to coordinate implementation of the recommendations of the Needs Analysis and the Action Plan.

The Housing Commission believes it is crucial that the new Housing Coordinator be a City employee, and not a staff position in Ashland Community Land Trust as some have suggested, for the following reasons:

Small non-profits such as ACLT function at tenuous levels of capacity in their early years and must devote considerable attention and resources to funding the basic components of their mission. ACLT manages project implementation through a contract with ACCESS, since it does not currently have staff or physical infrastructure.

We believe that the author of the Action Plan recommended that the position be housed in the City through an understanding that many of the tasks outlined in the Action Plan, such as modifying land use practices and City policies, and building support among civic businesses and institutions, are beyond the scope and mission of non-profit organizations. They are properly the task of City staff that can utilize the authority and support of other City resources to prepare the social and financial pathways to housing projects.

3. Non-profits, municipal governments and private individuals all qualify for different streams of private and public funding sources.

4. The receipt of large grants, either from the City, State or private sources, demands organizational capacity that must be established over time. ACLT is still in the process of building that capacity, as they simultaneously evolve as an organization and facilitate project development.

The Housing Commission was instrumental in creating the Ashland Community Land Trust. Its creation reflects an understanding of the appropriateness of separate roles and functions of each of these entities in accomplishing housing equity in any community. The necessity of separate entities and the complementary nature of our functions have not changed. The Commissioners who were involved in that process are available to answer your questions.

Thank you for the serious attention you have been devoting to housing issues. The Housing Commission believes there is no more urgent issue for the City to address than working to provide housing that is more affordable to a broader range of citizens. And we feel that the time has come to hire the staff needed to implement the plans that the consultants have recommended.

Sincerely,

Andy Dungan, Chair Ashland Housing Commission

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Attachments are available in PDF format.  Please click on the link below to view these documents on your computer:

Housing_Attachments.pdf (283.2KB)

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