[00:00:12]
AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING.
MEETING IS NOW CALLED THE ORDER.
WE HAVE THE, UH, AGENDA BEFORE YOU HAVE MOTION TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA PRESENTED.
SO MOVED BY JOHN AND, AND THIS MORNING.
UM, YOU SHOULD BE DOWN ON THAT OR WHEREVER YOU POP IS FINE.
DIFFERENT INFORMATION FOR? YEP.
YOU CAN GRAB THAT ONE RIGHT THERE.
ALL ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO ADOPT THE DEMO.
THE MINUTES, UM, MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 6TH.
A ALL IN FAVOR THAT WE KNOW BY SAY I SEVEN.
FOR 2023 MEETING DATES, WE NEED TO CONFIRM THAT ONE SCHEDULE AND GIVE US A YES SIR.
TRY TO GET US BACK ON THE SCREEN.
MY INTERNET JUST WENT OUT FOR WHILE YOU'RE WORKING ON THAT, GO AHEAD AND START.
UM, SO WE HAVE THE MEETING DATE.
UH, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE HAD A COPY OF THAT.
UM, WE'RE STILL MOVING FORWARD WITH THE FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH.
UM, WE TRIED TO MAKE SURE, UH, WE DIDN'T HIT ANY HOLIDAYS, WHICH I THINK WE'RE PRETTY GOOD WITH.
UM, SO THIS HAS JUST BEEN FOLLOWING THE SAME FORMAT, UH, THE 10 O'CLOCK MEETING, UH, AS WALLACE 50 IS PULLING THAT UP.
UM, SO THE FIRST, FIRST THURSDAY AT 10 O'CLOCK.
UM, AND WE JUST NEED YOU TO APPROVE THAT.
EVERYONE, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OUT.
DO YOU SEE ANY CONFLICTS? ALL RIGHT.
ALL IN FAVOR OF 2023 MEETING SCHEDULE THAT BE KNOWN BY AND NEW BUSINESS.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO DECEMBER.
WE ARE GONNA GO OVER OUR FISCAL YEAR 2023 NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BUDGET UPDATE.
AS OF TODAY, AS OF DECEMBER 1ST, 20 HOMES HAVE BEEN SERVICED FOR HOME REPAIRS SUCH AS ROOFING, WET AND DAMAGED FLOORS AND SEPTIC PUMP OUTS TOTALING $102 AND 102 760 $7.
38,113 IS LISTED AS ESTIMATED SPENDING FOR SEVEN RESIDENTS FOR SERVICE ON HOME REPAIRS, SEPTIC PUMP OUT, AND TREE MITIGATION.
FOR THE HOME REPAIR PROGRAM, 99,084 HAS BEEN SPENT AND 40 2004 49 HAS BEEN ENCUMBERED FOR A TOTAL OF 141 5 33 OF A $150,000 BUDGET FOR THE PROPERTY CLEANUP ACCEPTED PUMP OUT 3006 83 HAS BEEN SPENT AND NINE 80 HAS BEEN ENCUMBERED FOR A TOTAL OF 4,633 OF A $5,000 BUDGET.
I PUT THOSE TWO LIVE ITEMS IN THERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE OUR MOST POPULAR SERVICE REQUESTS.
UH, TO DATE, TO DATE, FIVE APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR REPAIRS AND ARE WAITING ON ESTIMATES, AND TWO APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN TURNED IN AND HAVE NOT YET BEEN APPROVED BY ALCOHOL.
SO, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE MEMO SIDE OF THAT? AND AGAIN, I JUST PUT THE HOME REPAIR SECTION AND THE PROPERTY AND SEP IT PUMP OUT BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE, DOLLAR WISE, WE ARE, UH, DWINDLING, DWINDLING THOSE TWO DOWN PRETTY FAST.
SO IT NEEDS TO COME TO SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT
[00:05:01]
ON HOW WE'RE GONNA GO THERE FOR THE REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR.SO, ANY QUESTIONS THERE? DO YOU HAVE BEEN ESTIMATE HOW MUCH YOU NEED FOR REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR OR NEXT YEAR? SO, UM, THAT, THAT WAS TURNED OVER TO TOWN COUNCIL AND, UM, STAFF AND THEY HAVE WORKING ON THAT FOR ABOUT A MONTH.
SO I DID TURN IT OVER TO THEM AND THEY SAW IT DURING STRATEGIC PLANNING.
UM, SO THE CHRIS FOR, OR THE ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER WHO'S ALSO OVER FINANCE, WE'VE INFORMED HIM THAT THE PROGRAM IS POPULAR AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT NEED THE ASSISTANCE.
UH, TOWN COUNCIL IS, IS FULLY AWARE OF IT.
UM, SO FAR ALL I'VE HEARD IS BEING SUPPORTIVE OF A, A BUNCH OF AMENDMENT THAT'S GONNA BE MOVED FORWARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT AMOUNT.
I BELIEVE WE SAID WE ABOUT 200 THAT, OR MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LOWER.
IT JUST DEPENDS ON, UM, FROM A TIMING STANDPOINT IS BE ABLE TO GET THE, THE FUNDS NECESSARY, UH, TO, TO FINISH OUT THIS FISCAL YEAR.
BUT THEN WE ARE STARTING THE BUDGET PROCESS AS OF NEXT WEEK, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE, OKAY.
WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY REVIEW INFORMATION, UM, AND THEN FORECASTING AND, AND REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, OBVIOUSLY WE'LL BE PROPOSING MORE MONEY, UM, TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE IN THE OKAY.
BUT WE'RE COVERED FOR, NO, THAT'S THE QUESTION WAS HOW MUCH WE WANT TO NEED OH.
SO FINISH UP THIS YEAR, WE'RE ESTIMATING ANYWHERE BETWEEN A HUNDRED AND $150,000 AND THAT'S JUST BASED OFF OF FORECASTING WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS YEAR.
AND JUST IN ESSENCE MIRRORING THAT, UM, MOVING FORWARD FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.
AND THE REST OF THE YEAR ENDS JUNE, JUNE 30TH.
UH, THE NEXT SCREEN THAT I HAVE IS AN EXCEL SHEET.
I KIND OF FRESHENED UP THE EXCEL SHEET FROM WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SEEING.
JUST KIND OF GIVE A DIFFERENT NUMBER FOR ME.
IT'S EASIER THIS WAY IN STAFF SO WE CAN JUST PLUG IT INTO EXCEL AND NOT HAVE TO PULL OUT THE CALCULATOR SO MUCH.
SO THIS IS ACTUALLY JUST MOVING NUMBERS FOR US.
IT'S JUST A, LIKE I SAID, A UPDATED VERSION OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN SEEING AT THE BOTTOM.
AGAIN, AS A REPEAT, AS OF, UM, THE NOVEMBER 30TH, NO APPLICATIONS HAVE COME IN.
SO ESTIMATED SPENDING COLUMN OFF FUNDS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN PAID TO A CONTRACTOR OR WORK HAS NOT YET BEEN COMPLETED.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE FOUR REPAIRS, FOUR HOME REPAIRS, THREE PROPERTY SEPTIC CLEAN OUT, AND ONE TREE MITIGATION.
SO THAT'LL BE EIGHT ADDITIONAL.
UM, ONCE THOSE ARE CLEARED OUT OF THE SYSTEM, AND THOSE ARE ESTIMATED AT THAT LINE ITEM OF 44,000 5 29.
SO I REMAIN IN A HOLE, NOT JUST EACH LINE ITEM IN A HOLE WILL BE 40 2007 COLLECTIVELY.
QUESTION, UM, ARE YOU STILL TAKING APPLICATION ON W DEFINITELY TAKING APPLICATIONS.
WE HAVE TWO THAT I HAVEN'T SENT TO
RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT A PAUSE, BUT YES, I'M STILL TAKING APPLICATIONS.
ONLY TWO HAVE COME IN SINCE THIS REPORT HAS BEEN DONE.
BUT YET I'M NOT SAYING NO THIS NO, NO.
EVEN IF WE HAVE TO ROLL IT TO NEXT FISCAL YEAR AND JUST LET THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
UM, KEEP IN MIND, I'M NOT THE MOST FINANCIAL ASTUTE PERSON IN THE WORLD.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE SPREADSHEET MM-HMM.
THEN I LOOK AT THE YEAR TO DATE SPENDING, IT'S AT 1 0 2.
UM, SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE HAVE AN ESTIMATED REMAIN REMAINING AMOUNT OF 44 42.
UM, THE 44, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS ESTIMATED SPENDING.
THAT HASN'T BEEN PAID OUT YET.
THOSE ESTIMATES ARE IN THE SYSTEM AND WAITING TO BE PAID OUT, BUT FINANCE HAS NOT CUT THE CHECK.
SO TECHNICALLY THAT SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE 1 0 2.
UM, SO THAT WOULD PUT YOU ROUGHLY, SO JUST SAY, UH, SPENT ONE 50, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S IN OUR SIX MONTH PERIOD, I GUESS BEFORE.
IT JUST SEEMS TYPICALLY THE WAY WE GET THE FINANCIALS IS YOU HAVE YOUR ADOPTED BUDGET AND THEN IT SAYS YEAR TO DATE ACTUAL, THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO PICTURE IN MY MIND.
MAYBE THAT COLUMN WHERE YOU LOOK AT ONE VERSUS THE OTHER, AND THEN THAT'S IT.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WE HAVE TOO MANY COLUMNS.
I THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE, WE WOULD ADD ANOTHER COLUMN THE YEAR TO DATE.
SO THAT'S A TOTAL AMOUNT, BUT IN ESSENCE, IT'S,
[00:10:01]
UM, SPENDING PLUS ESTIMATED SPENDING, SO A PLUS B, RIGHT.WHICH WOULD THEN EQUAL C, WHICH IS YOUR YEAR TO DAY.
ACTUAL WE CAN, WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT.
I JUST WANNA BE SURE I UNDERSTOOD CLEARLY.
SO THE NEXT ITEM UNDER NEW BUSINESS WAS REQUEST ADDITIONAL FUNDS, WHICH WE'VE KIND OF JUST DID A MINUTE AGO.
SO ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT LINE ITEM ON NUMBER TWO UNDER NEW BUSINESS, ANY ADDITIONAL? AND, AND REALLY KIND OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR FROM THE COMMITTEE IS A, A REQUEST THAT WOULD THEN BE PRESENTED TO TOWN COUNCIL, JUST STATING THAT BEFORE BAHA COMMITTEE HAS REVIEWED THE BUDGET, HAS REVIEWED, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
UM, I SAY WE, VICKY HAS BEEN DOING, UM, AND BE ABLE TO REQUEST A, A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDS THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
UM, JUST SO THAT WAY WE'VE, WE REALIZED THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS AGO, LIKE WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE.
UM, SO WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGING IT.
WE'VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE LIKE WE'RE, WE HAVE TO HOLD OFF, UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH FINANCE AND THEN ULTIMATELY YOU GUYS AND THEN COUNCIL WITH TOWN COUNCIL MAKING THAT ULTIMATE DECISION.
SO, UH, AND ESSENCE IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND, AND WE CAN WRITE IT UP, IS JUST A, A, A FORMAL, UM, RECOMMENDATION FROM THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE, UM, TO TOWN COUNCIL TO INCREASE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
SO WE NEED, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED TWO DIFFERENT REQUESTS AND ONE, WE NEED A BUDGET MEETING REQUEST, RIGHT? YES, SIR.
AND THEN WE NEED POSSIBLY REQUESTS TO HAVE MORE FUNDING IN THE BUDGET FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
SO THAT, THAT WE WILL WORK ON AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, WHICH WE'RE STARTING VERY SOON.
SO, UM, WE CAN, WE'LL WORK ON GETTING THAT TOGETHER.
AND PROBABLY FEBRUARY WE'LL BE COMING BACK WITH YOU, WITH YOU GUYS WITH MORE INFORMATION AS TO LIKE, OKAY, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR YOUR BUDGET WAS THE ONE 90, THIS AS IN THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, THIS FUTURE BUDGET BUDGET, WE'RE LOOKING AT X AMOUNT, WHATEVER IT IS.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO WORK ON THAT AMOUNT, BUT OUR GOAL RIGHT NOW IS JUST THAT AMENDMENT TO THE CURRENT BUDGET TO ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
UM, SO IF IN THE SIX MONTHS WE POTENTIALLY WILL BASICALLY SPEND 150,000 SHOULD BE INCREASING TO THE 150,000 FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? NOT SIX MONTHS.
WHAT IS THAT? WHAT I THINK WE NEED TO DO IS VICKY HAS A, A WAITING LIST, OR SHE HAS A PROPOSED SPENDING ON FOR THE REPAIRS THAT'S IN THE QUEUE.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE CAN COVER THOSE.
AND THEN WHAT IF THEIR ADDITIONAL REQUEST THAT COME AFTER THAT QUEUE, AND WE STILL, HOPEFULLY BY THAT POINT, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, SO IF SOMEONE, LET'S SAY IN, YOU KNOW, LATE MAY, WE WERE AT THAT POINT WHERE WE, WE NO LONGER, WE'VE EXPENDED ALL OF OUR FUNDS.
IT WOULD THEN IN ESSENCE ROLL OVER TO THAT, THAT NEXT WE'VE TRIED TO WORK THROUGH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNDER THE, THE CURRENT, I'D SAY CURRENT BUDGET, AS IN IF IT'S APPROVED FOR AN AMENDMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, USE THOSE FUNDS.
AND THEN IF ANYONE COMES IN AT THE, AT THE TAIL END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, THEN WE'D BE STARTING THEM ON THAT NEW BUDGET CYCLE.
SO WOULD STAFF OFFER A RECOMMENDATION? UH, I MEAN, I I, TO BE HONEST, I'D RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, IF WE USE, IF WE RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, $200,000, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS ANY, ANY UNUSED THE NEXT YEAH.
WE COULD THEN ROLL IT, ROLL IT OVER TOWARDS THAT NEXT BUDGET.
IF YOU GIVE IT 200, SHE GONNA SPEND IT.
I, THERE'S TIME'S AND, AND THE AMOUNT OF THAT THE TOWN HAS GROWN, I, I CAN SEE THE NEED LIKE INCREASING.
SO, WELL, I THINK WE'VE GIVEN HER ACCOLADES PREVIOUSLY AND SO IT'S, IT'S HER EFFORTS THAT HAVE, UH, TAKEN THIS PROGRAM TO ANOTHER LEVEL.
UM, THE NEED HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE.
IT'S JUST SHE'S IDENTIFYING THE NEED BETTER RIGHT.
[00:15:01]
HAS.AND SHE'S DONE A GREAT JOB WITH THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND THE OTHER PART IS, IT, IT KEEPS OUR CITIZENS HERE AND SOME OF THEM ARE WORKERS AND WE ALREADY HAVE A SHORTAGE OF HOUSING FOR WORKERS.
SO I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM.
AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE ALREADY PICKING UP ON WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR HOW LONG, FRED, 15 YEARS OR WHATEVER.
SO PEOPLE ARE PICKING UP ON IT AND IMPLEMENTING IT.
THE ACTUAL NUMBER, BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST GAVE, THE ACTUAL NUMBER THAT WE SHOULD BE RECOMMENDING TO COUNCIL IS WHAT NUMBER? WELL, THE, THE, THE 200,000 WOULD INCLUDE, UM, PROJECTS THAT, THAT HAVE SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS, UH, THAT HAVEN'T GONE THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT FINAL, UM, PROCESS.
AND THEN FUTURE APPLICATIONS, WHICH AS VICKY STATED, SHE'S RECEIVED TWO SINCE THE PRINTING OF THIS.
SO THE APPLICATIONS KEEP COMING IN.
MY, MY QUESTION IS, THE BUDGET WAS ADOPTED.
ARE YOU SAYING ADD AN ADDITIONAL 100 TO THAT NUMBER? NO, THE, WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU? I I WOULD SUGGEST THE, THE 200.
UM, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS THAT'LL COVER UP, YOU'RE SAYING THAT AN AN ADDITIONAL 200 YES.
SO THE REQUEST WILL BE FOR 200.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO, YES.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
THE MOTION IS THAT WE REQUESTED $200,000 FOR THIS, UH, FISCAL YEAR.
THAT MOTION, YOU KNOW, BY SAYING WHAT? THANK YOU.
AND WE WILL FORWARD THAT, UM, TO, TO THE ASSISTANT TALENT MANAGER WITH THEN ULTIMATELY WE'LL FORWARD.
THE NEXT THING ON, I'M GONNA FLIP BACK TO OUR AGENDA.
WE ARE COMING DOWN TO NEW BUSINESS, EXCUSE ME, DISCUSSION, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WE DO HAVE SOME VISITORS IN THE BUILDING, SO LET'S ACKNOWLEDGE OUR VISITORS ON THE SIDELINE.
ALSO, ONCE YOU FINISH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND SIGNING INTO OUR SIGN SHEET, JUST SO WE'LL HAVE YOU ON RECORD.
YOU LADIES CAN GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF PLEASE.
I A NEW RESIDENT OF BLUFFTON AND MY PREVIOUS LIFE I WORKED, UM, IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS A DEVELOPER AND A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PERSON.
SO I'M HERE TO OBSERVE AND, AND LEARN.
HAS SHE APPLY
SHE DOESN'T WANNA BE ON OUR STAFF ROSTER.
UH, MICHELLE HART, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
I'M JENNIFER COLEMAN, CASE MANAGER FOR FAMILY PRODUCT, UM, SLASH SOCIAL WORKER.
SO I'VE BEEN IN THE COMMUNITY FOR MANY YEARS.
MARY, FIRST TELL US HOW YOU CAN, WHAT YOU THINK YOU CAN DO, UH, WHAT YOU CAN OFFER US.
CAUSE I'M THE EMAIL AND THE BIO WAS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
WELL,
AND, UM, ONE OPINION I HAVE IS THAT SINCE BLUFFTON HAS GROWN AND THIS REGION HAS GROWN, O P T HILTON HEAD, UM, YOU'RE PROBABLY IN NEED OF A STRONG HOUSING NONPROFIT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FEDERALLY, STATE, LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, HOUSING TRUST FUND.
SO THAT'S KIND OF IN THE BACK OF MY MIND THAT IF THE COMMUNITY WANTED TO START A STRONG NONPROFIT, UM, A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION AT SHADOW, WHICH IS, UM, ENTITLED TO A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF HOME DOLLARS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA.
SO THAT WAS MY THINKING, COUNSEL THAT OKAY.
UM, WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
UM, KEVIN AND VICTORIA IS YOUR NEXT STOP.
SO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SIT WITH THEM AND LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN COLLABORATE.
[00:20:01]
I MEAN, I'LL, I'LL LET JENNIFER GO FIRST.
WELL, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO COLLABORATE, CONSIDERING THAT WE ARE A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION AND OUR POPULATION IS THE MOST AFFORDABLE BECAUSE WE'RE THE HOMELESS, THE ONLY HOMELESS SHELTER FOR BEFOR COUNTY.
SO OUR CLIENTS ARE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT SEEK, UM, SHELTER.
SO WHEN THE FAMILY TRANSITION OUT OF THEIR SHELTER PROGRAM, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST CONCERN FOR BUFORD COUNTY.
IT'S VERY LIVED TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN BUFORD COUNTY.
SO THE GOAL IS TO FIND THEM AFFORDABLE RENTAL AND HOPEFULLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN COLLABORATE TOGETHER.
OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS, IS HOUSING OUR FAMILIES, ONCE THEY'RE OUT OF OUR SHELTER PROGRAM, WE DON'T WANNA PUT 'EM, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEM GO THROUGH THE 90 DAY PROGRAM AND THEN WE CAN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING FOR THEM BECAUSE WE CAN'T FIND THEM AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE FOR THE BLUFFTON AREA.
HOW MANY, UM, I GUESS FAMILIES THAT YOU SERVICE THE BLUFFTON AREA? SO WE SERVE AS FOUR FAMILIES UP TO 14 INDIVIDUALS EVERY 90 DAYS.
AND BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMY RIGHT NOW, FAMILIES ARE STAYING IN THE PROGRAM UP TO 120 DAYS.
YOU SAID 14 FAMILIES EVERY 90 DAYS.
14 INDIVIDUALS, FOUR FAMILIES.
AND AND THEY'RE ALL BLUFFTON RESIDENTS? MOST OF THEM ARE BUFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS.
I CAN'T REALLY SAY THEY'RE, UM, BLUFFTON RESIDENTS, BUT THEY'RE BUFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS.
AND I'M ASKING THAT BECAUSE WE PRETTY MUCH SERVICE BLUFFTON.
SO IF THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO BREAK THAT DOWN FOR US SOMETIMES.
I HAVE DATA THAT SPECIFICALLY SAYS, UM, BLOCK THE RESIDENTS, RESIDENTS FROM JASPER COUNTY, BUFORD COUNTY, I MEAN BUFORD AREA.
WHAT QUALIFIES THEM TO COME TO YOU? THEY HAVE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
AND THAT THEY'RE WILLING AND ABLE TO SEEK EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE WE'RE A WORK IN SHELTER.
THEY HAVE TO BE EMPLOYED WHILE THEY'RE IN A SHELTER PROGRAM.
WHO IS IT THAT'S, UM, WHICH GROUP IS IT IN HANDLING THE, UH, I GUESS WE HAVE HOMELESS CHILDREN, RIGHT? YES.
I THOUGHT I WAS LOOKING AT YOUS THE OTHER NIGHT.
UM, SO YOU MADE THE COMMENT THAT WE WANT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I THINK YOU SAID THEY MIGHT OWN OR SOMETHING.
EVERYONE WANTS TO OWN A HOUSE ONE DAY.
BUT, BUT, BUT AGAIN, IF WE EVENTUALLY END UP WITH RENTAL UNITS, THAT'S AFFORDABLE, THAT'S GOOD TOO.
ANYTHING THAT'S AFFORDABLE TO PUT PEOPLE IN A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD.
I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR ON THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I GUESS, UM, WE WANT TO THANK GUYS FOR COMING.
THIS IS, UM, DEFINITELY A, AN AREA WHERE WE HAVE TO HAVE COLLABORATION.
WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL, ALL EYES ON THE PRIZE.
SO IF HE'S HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS AFTER TODAY'S MEETING, PLEASE CONTACT MYSELF OR VICKY OR KEVIN.
MAKE SURE YOU SIGN IN FOR ME UNTIL I GET ALL YOUR OFFICIAL NAMES.
MAY I HAVE ONE LAST THING? YES.
I FORGOT TO RECOGNIZE, UM, THE CHAIRMANS RIGHT TO TRY TO HOOK Y'ALL WITH VICKY.
UM, SHE JUST WAS APPOINTED BY THE SOLO BOARD TO SERVE ON OUR NEW REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND.
UH, WHICH IS QUITE AN HONOR BECAUSE THAT WAS A BOARD, IT'S A BOARD MADE UP OF VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS IN THE, IN THE COUNTY AND THE TOWNS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, EACH TOWN MUNICIPALITY WAS TO A POINT A PERSON.
UH, AND THEN THE COUNTY WAS TO APPOINT A PERSON.
AND THEN THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OTHER PERSON COLLECTIVELY OUT ALL OF THAT TO BE APPOINTED.
AND SHE WAS NOMINATED AND, UH, SHE
[00:25:01]
WAS APPOINTED.SO I THINK THAT'S A BIG THING.
CLA UP
SO JUST GET MORE HELP AND BRING YOU TO BLUFFTON.
YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THAT DOESN'T COME WITH PIG.
SO NEXT, UNDER OUR DISCUSSION, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO KEVIN, WHO IS OUR GROWTH MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, AND HE'S GONNA GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE HOUSING ANALYSIS AND OUR STATE OF MIND CONTRACT.
ACTUALLY, WE JUST WANT TO, UNDER THE PDF, THERE'S, UH, HOUSING ANALYSIS MEMO FINAL RIGHT THERE.
AND THEN WE'LL PULL UP THE DOCUMENT ITSELF.
SO, UM, FOR EVERYONE AT THE TABLE, UM, THERE IS A PART OF THE PACKET HERE.
UM, THIS IS THIS DOCUMENT, THIS IS, IT'S A LIVING DOCUMENT.
SO, UH, ONE OF THE STRATEGIC ACTION ITEMS THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS.
DO YOU HAVE A COPY YOU GET THEN? UM, WE SHOULD, THERE'S ACTUALLY WHICH ONE? RIGHT THERE.
AND THERE MIGHT BE AN EXTRA ONE UNDERNEATH THERE AS WELL.
AND THOSE OTHER, ATTACH THOSE OTHER COLORED DOCUMENTS RIGHT? THERE WILL ALSO BE THE NEXT ITEM THAT WE DISCUSSED.
SO THE, THE ONE WITH THE IMAGE ONE.
I THINK WE ONLY HAVE TWO WITH THE CHAIR.
UM, SO YEAH, I THINK THEY ALL, DO THEY ALL HAVE COPIES NOW? YES.
UM, SO PART OF THE 2324 STRATEGIC, UH, ACTION PLAN WAS TO PROVIDE A HOUSING ANALYSIS.
UM, THE GOAL IS TO, UH, FIND THE VARIOUS TYPES OF AFFORDABLE UNITS THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
UM, SO ATTACHED TO THIS MEMO IS A, A SPREADSHEET THAT I PUT TOGETHER.
UM, I TRY TO, UH, CAPTURE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE THROUGH MY RESEARCH.
UH, THERE MAY STILL BE SOME OUTLIERS OUT THERE.
SO AGAIN, IT'S A LIVING DOCUMENT AND AS WE FIND, UH, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE ABLE TO UPDATE THAT.
UM, BUT IT INCLUDES PROJECTS, UH, FOR HOUSING, UH, LOW INCOME TAX, UH, CREDITS, THE HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM, UH, UNITS THAT THE BEAUFORD HOUSING AFFORD OWNS, UH, PRIVATELY RESTRICTED HOUSING, AND THEN TOWN FUNDED AS WELL AS HABITAT HUMANITY PROJECTS.
SO, UM, IT'S A COMBINATION OF BOTH SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED ATTACHED UNITS, APARTMENTS THAT ARE RENTED AND OR OWNER OCCUPIED.
UM, SO I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THIS, BUT WHAT I WANNA DO IS I WANNA PROVIDE JUST A COPY OF THIS.
UM, THIS IS ALSO BEING PROVIDED TO TOWN COUNCIL.
UM, IT'S JUST AN ABILITY FOR YOU TO KIND OF SEE THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS, IT'S IN THE COMMUNITY, IT'S, IT'S OUT THERE.
BUT THIS KIND OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE VARIOUS UNITS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
UM, THE LENGTH OF AFFORDABILITY, UH, WHEN THEY WERE CONSTRUCTED, UH, WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD OR PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT THEY ARE POTENTIALLY LOCATED IN, UM, AND THE VARIOUS, UM, AREA MEANING INCOME ELIGIBILITIES FOR THEM.
UH, SO WHAT I'VE DONE IS ON THE, ON THE FIRST PAGE, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS DEVELOPMENT THAT'S IN TOWN.
UH, SOME OF THESE YOU PROBABLY KNOW OF THE WARF STREET REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE OUR TOWN INITIATIVE.
WE HAVE THE 10 95, UH, WHICH I'LL PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE HERE IN A FEW MINUTES.
UM, THERE'S SOME THAT HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED.
UM, EXAMPLES INCLUDE, UH, AT VILLAGE AND REVIEW.
UH, THERE'S A PART COMPLEX OUT THERE THAT HAS, UH, A FORMAL COMPONENT TO IT.
UH, BEAUFORT HOUSING AUTHORITY THAT OWNS, UH, TWO HOMES THAT I KNOW OF, SPECIFICALLY IN BLUFFTON, UH, AS WELL AS THEIR VOUCHER PROGRAM, WHICH THEY HAVE 86 UNITS IN BLUFFTON.
BUT THEN OVERALL THEY HAVE 642 UNITS IN BUFORD COUNTY.
SO, UM, WHAT I'VE DONE IS, UH, YOU'VE GOT, UH, NEW HOPE VILLAGE.
UH, THAT'S AN EXAMPLE THAT IS, UM, OFF OF SIMMONS BUILT ROAD.
UM, YOU HAVE, UH, THE, UM, OUTSIDE, UM, ON THE NEXT PAGE, YOU CAN SEE OUTSIDE OF TOWN, WE HAVE VARIOUS UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED THROUGH HUGE HOUSING AUTHORITY, UH, VISTA VIEW, AVALON SHORES ON ITS APARTMENTS, UH, MAY RIVER VILLAGE, THAT'S THE ONE THAT, UM, FORMER MAYOR OF HILTON HEAD, DAVID BENNETT ON, THAT'S RIGHT THERE ON BRU.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY EXPANDING RIGHT NOW IN
[00:30:01]
CASE ANYONE HAS NOTICED THAT.UM, SO THAT'S A LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT.
SO, UM, SO THIS IS JUST INFORMATION OF, OF SITES THAT ARE DEVELOPED.
UH, AND AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, YOU'LL SEE ON THE EIGHT AND A HALF BY 11 SHEET PAPER, UM, THERE'S A TERM CALLED NOAH, WHICH IS NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WHAT THAT IS, IS, IS IN ESSENCE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS AN EXAMPLE OF NOAH.
WHERE WE ARE, WE ARE ASSISTING INDIVIDUALS THAT OWN PROPERTY, OWN THEIR HOME AND KEEPING THEM IN THEIR HOME.
SO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WE TALK ABOUT THAT WE HAVE ALL THESE FUNDS THAT WE'RE EXPENDING, THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF NOAH, WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE HERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO SELL THEIR PROPERTY, THEY DON'T HAVE TO, TO MOVE AWAY SOMEWHERE ELSE.
LIKE YOU SAID, THE, THE WORKFORCE HOUSING COMPONENT TO IT, INDIVIDUALS THAT, THAT ARE, THAT ARE WORKING JOBS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T, THEY CAN'T AFFORD, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PRICE OF HOMES, UM, FOR THE MAJORITY OF HOMES THAT ARE OUT THERE TODAY.
UM, SO WHAT THIS INFORMATION IS, THIS JUST IS, IS A KIND OF LIKE AN UPDATE OF A SNAPSHOT OF EACH YEAR, UH, SINCE 2016 OF THE VARIOUS PROJECTS, UM, THAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH TO MAKE, UH, REPAIRS FOR HOMES, UM, IN ORDER TO HELP KEEP, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS IN, IN THEIR HOUSES.
SO I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE THIS TO YOU.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, BUT THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
UM, OUR GOAL IS TO OBVIOUSLY MONITOR IT, UM, KEEP MOVING FORWARD, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ASSISTING AS MANY, AS MANY HOMES AS POSSIBLE, UH, BUT THEN REALIZE THAT WE DO HAVE FUTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE NEEDED.
UH, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THOSE.
AND NEXT ITEM THAT I HAVE IS JUST DEALING WITH THAT CONTRACT.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, IT'S A COMBINATION OF MYSELF AND, AND BIGGIE.
UM, I, FOR EXAMPLE, I'VE ONLY BEEN ON THE COMMITTEE SEVEN YEARS.
I WOULD'VE HAD NO IDEA OF THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.
IT'S NOT A SMALL, IT'S A LOT OF WORK.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF REQUESTS.
AND LIKE KEVIN JUST SAID, IT'S HELPING THEM STAY WHERE THEY ARE AND NOT HAVING TO PICK UP THAT $1,500 RENT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD.
SO THEY PUT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS ENTAILS A LOT.
AND SOME OF THESE, YOU KNOW, AS YOU CAN SEE, LIKE YOU'RE BUILT, UH, BACK TO THAT, THE, THE 11 BY 17, UM, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS, UH, VARIOUS YEARS, UH, FROM 97, 20, 20 12, YOU KNOW, AND THEN JUST ANTICIPATED DATES WITH SOME OF THE PROJECTS.
DO WE GIVE ANY, LET'S SAY PUBLICITY ABOUT THIS? JUST THE TOWN? NOT REALLY.
UM, AS, AS FAR AS PUTTING THE INFORMATION OUT THERE ON THE MEDIA, LIKE, UM, OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS MM-HMM.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THAT CAN BE, FOR AN EXAMPLE, THE LAST SHEET THAT HE GAVE US, I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO GIVE THAT OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
NO, NO, I WOULD, BUT I MEAN, I'M TALKING ABOUT JUST NUMBERS.
AND THAT'S WHY THIS IS PRINTED FAMILIES AND JUST PROVIDE IT TO YOU JUST IN, IN A PAPER FORMAT.
OUR INTENT IS NOT, NOW WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN PROVIDE THE, THE PHYSICAL YEAR, THE, THE NUMBER OF UNITS AND THE, AND THE TOTAL AMOUNT.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST FOR, FOR INTERNAL PURPOSES, THIS GIVES YOU AN ABILITY TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WHAT WORK WAS DONE, FUNDS EXPENDED, AND I GUESS IF YOU WILL LEAVE THAT SHEET WITH US
BUT LIKE MOST OF YOU, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, BEING A REALTOR, BUT ALSO JUST TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GET THINGS DONE OR HELPING GET HOUSES RE FURNISHED AND STUFF THAT I WORK WITH.
PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE BLUFFTON IS GROWING SO QUICKLY, AND, YOU KNOW, THE PRICE OF LIVING HERE IS SO MUCH, AND IT, IT ENDS UP BEING PEOPLE IN MOBILE HOMES.
THEY'RE AFRAID THAT THERE WON'T BE ANY HELP.
[00:35:01]
AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO, WE, THE COMMUNITY THAT'S GOING TO RUN PEOPLE AWAY, SELL THEIR LAND, EVEN IF THEY OWN THE LAND, BUT SELL THE LAND AND PUSH 'EM OUT.AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT JUST NEEDS TO BE VOICED.
I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, BUT IT IS A CONCERN IN THE COMMUNITY THAT PEOPLE THINK THAT THIS GROWTH IS GOING TO NEGATIVELY AFFECT THEM AND PUSH THEM OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND THEIR HOME, THEIR, WHERE THEY'VE SPENT ALL THEIR LIVES.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION SLASH STATEMENT.
UM, I KNOW
THAT'S WHY, UM, WE DO WHAT WE DO.
AND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU SAID MAYBE WE'RE NOT GETTING THE WORD OUT AS WELL AS WE CAN, BUT WE, SINCE, UM, VICTORIA CAME ON BOARD, WE HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVELY AND, AND VISIBLE IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, USING THE CHURCHES AND USING THE, UM, WORD OF MOUTH AND, AND HER KNOCKING ON DOORS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY BEEN, UM, HELPFUL THAT WE HAVE, UM, THIS COMMITTEE THAT'S THE NEED AND UNDERSTAND THE NEED AND UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, BLUFFTON IS CHANGING, BUT WE ARE SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHO, UM, ARE IN THAT CATEGORY.
UM, I'M ALWAYS GONNA HAVE MY OWN FRIENDS.
FOR AN EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, I LOOKED AT ONE OF THOSE CHART THAT KEVIN SHOWED US WHEN THERE IS, UM, UNITS THAT ARE 120% EMI.
SEE, I FROWN ON STUFF LIKE THAT.
WE ALREADY BUILDING PHONES EVERY DAY.
SO WE NEED TO COMPENSATE, UM, DEVELOPER FOR THAT KINDA PRODUCT.
AND, AND IF, AND I KEEP PREACHING THAT.
SO AS LONG AS WE CAN REALIZE THAT WE WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THE AREAS THAT ARE NOT, THAT I'M NOT, UH, AFFORDABLE, UM, IF YOU'LL ON ON NOT THE PRODUCT THAT IS GOING TO CAPTURE THE AUDIENCE THAT WE, THAT WE TRYING TO SERVICE, IT'S GOING TO, IT'S REALLY GOING TO TAKE US BEING, STAYING FOCUSED.
SO THIS COMMITTEE HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, VERY PROUD, UM, ON REPRESENTATIVE, UM, COUNCIL HAS BEEN VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE.
SO WHEN YOU, AND, AND IT IS GONNA TAKE, AND COUNCILS LIKE YOU EXPERIENCED THAT YOU HAVE TO SAY THERE IS, WE, WE WERE AWARE OF YOUR CONCERN AND WE WERE TRYING TO ELIMINATE THAT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHO I AM.
THERE'S, THERE'S STRONGER WORD, UM, THAT IS OUT THERE WHEN, WHEN, WHEN WE USE THE FACT THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING DISPLACED IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND I'M TOTALLY, UM, FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT OFTEN, UH, IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN LIVE, WORKING, PLAY.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, PLANS FOR, UM, MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH THE 60% OR BELOW? AMI NOT 60% AND BELOW 60 TO EIGHT 60 TO 160.
SO ONCE YOU START THE, THE 60 AND BELOW, UM, THAT IS, THAT'S MORE FOCUSED THROUGH THAT, UM, LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
UM, I DO KNOW THAT, UM, WE'VE HAD SOME INTEREST, SPECIFICALLY THE ONE WHERE IT SAYS ST.
[00:40:01]
TO GET TOO TECHNICAL, BUT, UH, THEY WERE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.SO THEY HAD UNITS THAT THEY WANTED TO, TO, UH, TO DEVELOP.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME INTEREST OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LOOKING TO DEVELOP, UM, IN THAT AREA.
THEY HAVE TO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA AND IT'S ALMOST, THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH A, A LOTTERY OF SORT TO BE ABLE TO, TO RECEIVE THOSE FUNDS.
UM, THERE'S OTHER DEVELOPERS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT FOCUS ON THE, THE LOW INCOME HOUSE AND TAX CREDITS.
UM, SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF THEM FINDING THE LAND, BEING ABLE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT.
AND THAT'S PART OF THE, THE REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND IS THAT THAT HELPS WITH THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UM, FOR THESE DEVELOPERS AS THEY COME IN.
AND THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT, UM, WE REALIZE THAT IT'S, IT DOESN'T JUST STAY WITHIN BOUNDARY LINES OF MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES.
UH, OUR GOAL IS TO ASSIST EVERYWHERE, SO WORKING TOGETHER.
UM, BUT IT ALSO HELPS, UM, CAUSE IT PROVIDES MORE BARGAINING POWER.
UH, SO IF SOMEONE DOES WANT TO DEVELOP IN THE TOWN, THEY CAN GO TO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDS, UH, TO MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE A MORE DESIRABLE PROJECT.
MR. CHAIRMAN, MAN, LIKE OBSERVATION, UM, PLEASE, I WANT, I WANT TO BUILD ON WHAT CHAIRMAN SAID.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, TO YOUR POINT, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET BELOW A CERTAIN AMI, YOU REALLY TALK IN RENTAL.
YOU'RE NOT TALKING HOME OWNERSHIP MM-HMM.
UM, BUT YES, EVERYBODY'S FOCUSED ON, LIKE HE SAID, HE'S ALWAYS GOT HIS EYE ON THE PRIZE.
AND SINCE I'VE KNOWN HIM, HE DOES.
UM, I WANNA SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU EAT.
YOU'VE HEARD THE EXPRESSION, HOW YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT.
BY THE TIME IT'S, THE PROBLEM IS SO MAMMOTH, YOU MAY NEVER SOLVE THE ENTIRE PROBLEM.
SO WE WE'RE EATING IT ONE BITE AT A TIME.
BUT I, IN THE SEVEN YEARS THAT I HAVE SAT HERE AT THE TABLE AND FRED, I, UM, THIS, THIS IS THE MOST, UM, POSITIVE I HAVE FELT BEING ON COUNCIL WITH THIS ISSUE.
AND, AND I'LL EXPLAIN VERY QUICKLY WHY IS WE'VE ALWAYS MADE AN EFFORT HERE IN THIS COMMITTEE TO MOVE THE BALL FORWARD.
BUT WHAT I'VE BEEN SEEING, AND CORRECT ME IF YOU DISAGREE, FRED, I I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS HIS MESSAGE HAS NOW PERMEATED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
THERE'S PLACES LIKE MAYBE ON THE ISLAND WHERE THEY WEREN'T SO SUPPORTIVE OF THIS DISCUSSION.
JUST TWO YEARS AGO, UM, THAT COUNCIL WAS GOING A 180 AND NOW THAT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY FOCUSES.
SO THE MESSAGE IS FINALLY SEATED OUT.
AND I THINK WITH THE REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND, I HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THAT.
IT MAY NOT DO WHAT I THINK IT WILL, BUT I, I UNTIL PROVES ITSELF, OTHERWISE I HAVE EXTREME HOPE FOR THAT.
I THINK WE'RE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS AND I FEEL VERY HAPPY AND POSITIVE ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN HERE TODAY ALONG WITH THE NEW TOOLS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING.
I THINK WE'LL MAKE YOU THOUGHTS.
UH, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, THINGS, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, OUR PROGRAM OR, OR ANYTHING DISCUSSED TODAY? AND I'M GOING TO GIVE, UH, PUBLIC ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE US, IF YOU WILL,
BUT IF YOU, IF YOU GOT ANY OTHER, IF YOU GUYS, ANY QUESTIONS? UH, UM, I'D LIKE TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT UNDERSTANDING ABOUT PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, OUR BIGGEST THING IS, IS OBVIOUSLY FINDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR OUR CLIENTS, AND WE HEAR MIXED MESSAGES LIKE ABOUT SOME OF THESE PLACES THAT HAVE AFFORDABLE UNITS.
SO HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO GET A LIST OF WHERE THOSE ARE AND, AND YOU KNOW, EVEN POSSIBLY SET UP MEETINGS TO MEET WITH THEM BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE PEOPLE INTO AFFORDABLE UNITS, SO HOW DO WE GET A RUNNING LIST OF WHAT'S OUT THERE AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE? YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, I'D HEARD A RUMOR ABOUT ST.
GREGORY, WE'VE GOT TWO, TWO BOARD MEMBERS FROM ST.
YOU KNOW, CAN WE COLLABORATE WITH THEM TO BUILD HOUSING OR, YOU KNOW, I WAS TOLD THAT THAT HAD STOPPED ALTOGETHER.
SO, SO AN EXAMPLE THAT THE PROPERTY OVER THERE IS OBVIOUSLY ST.
GREGORY HAS CARVED OFF AN AREA FOR, FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT RIGHT.
SO I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARILY
[00:45:01]
ST.GREGORY GREG THEMSELVES THAT ARE WORKING FOR IT, BUT SOMEONE IS INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING ONE OF THE PARCELS.
SO YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD FROM A MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION SAYING, OH YEAH, IT'S NOT HAPPENING ANYMORE, BUT DOESN'T MEAN THAT SOMEONE ISN'T LOOKING AT A PIECE OF PROPERTY.
UM, AND IT'S ALL, IT'S DEALING WITH CYCLES OF, OF BEING ABLE TO SUBMIT THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION.
SO, UM, THE INDIVIDUAL THAT I TALKED WITH, THEY SAID THAT CYCLE WAS GETTING CLOSE, THERE WAS ALREADY OTHER PROJECTS THAT HAD HAD BETTER CRITERIA TO MEET THE NEEDS THERE.
UM, SO THEY'RE LIKE, I'M GONNA HOLD OFF.
I'M GONNA WAIT TILL THE NEXT CYCLE.
I THINK THIS DOCUMENTATION RIGHT HERE MIGHT HELP MINUS THE, THE ONE SHEET THAT WE'RE GONNA TAKE BACK FROM YOU.
UM, WITH INDIVIDUAL, UH, ADDRESSES.
BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN KIND OF USE THAT AS, AS AN EXAMPLE.
UM, WELL, THE LIST YOU GAVE ME, WELL THE LIST YOU GAVE ALL OF US, I'M LOOKING THROUGH THEM, UM, WITH A LOT OF THE LOCAL, UM, HOUSING LISTS AND A LOT OF THE LANDLORDS, I DO WORK WITH THEM AND WHAT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE HOUSING LIST AS FAR AS THE VOUCHERS, WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE IN BLUFFTON ANYMORE AS FAR AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
IT'S ONLY GONNA BE ONE PLACE IN BLUFFTON THAT WILL BE ACCEPTING THE VOUCHERS MOVING FORWARD IN 23.
UH, WELL THAT DEPENDS ON IF COUPLE THINGS.
ONE, IF IT'S LIKE A, LIKE A, LIKE AN APARTMENT COMPLEX YES.
IF, IF THEY ARE, THEN IF THEY ARE GOING CYCLING OUT OF THAT, THE, THE HOUSING TAX CREDIT YES.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THAT.
SO THAT'S ON, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A STATE, STATE LEVEL MM-HMM.
UM, SO YOU DEFINITELY WOULD NEED TO TALK TO THEM.
AND THEN WITH THAT, IT IS A MATTER OF PROPERTY OWNERS THAT ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT HOUSING VOUCHERS.
AND AGAIN, WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT OF A GOVERNMENT OVERREACH.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE OBVIOUSLY TRY TO WORK WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HANDLE THE VOUCHERS MM-HMM.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR US TO START.
CAUSE WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE HEARING, YOU KNOW, IS THAT MOST OF THESE ARE GOING TO NO HOUSING VOUCHERS WHATSOEVER MM-HMM.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING THE CORRECT STORY, WHATEVER THAT IS.
YOU UNDERSTAND WHY, RIGHT? YES.
I MEAN I, YES, BUT IT'S STILL WE'RE, IT'S A PROBLEM, YOU KNOW? WELL, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY OKAY.
FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, FOR A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER, UM, IF THEY, IF THEY CYCLE OUT OF THEIR AGREEMENT, YOU KNOW.
SO THEY'RE EXPIRING TAX CREDITS AND YOU NEED AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPER NONPROFIT TO GO AHEAD AND TRY AND PRESERVE THAT.
THERE'S, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THE, THE STATE HAS A PRESERVATION PROGRAM, BUT MANY STATES DO HAVE A PRESERVATION, HAS A PRESERVATION PROGRAM WHERE YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, ACQUIRE AN EXPIRING TAX CREDIT AND RE-UP FOR ANOTHER THIRD YEARS.
SO THAT'S WHERE A DEVELOPER COULD COME IN THAT, AND I'M NOT TALKING A FOR PROFIT DEVELOPER, BUT A NON-PROFIT DEVELOPER TO SORT OF DO THE WILL OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND, AND MAINTAIN THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, THE LAST IT I HAD WAS JUST AN UPDATE ON THE CMI CONTRACT, UM, PROVIDED IN YOUR PACKET.
IN ESSENCE, IT'S, IT'S AN EMAIL, UH, WITH A CONCEPTUAL IMAGE, UM, OF THIS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PROJECT AT, AT 10 95 MAY RIVER ROAD.
THE PROPERTY, UH, THAT THE TOWN, UM, PURCHASED A FEW YEARS AGO.
IT'S 1.7 ACRES, UH, LOOKING TO CONSTRUCT APPROXIMATELY 12 TO 14 UNITS, UH, WITH CONCRETE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS.
WE HAVE A CONTRACT SET UP, UM, WITH STATE OF MIND PARTNERS.
AND IN THIS EMAIL YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF A, I BELIEVE THAT'S SAY FOUR, EITHER A FOUR OR FIVE UNIT, UM, OF, OF ATTACHED SINGLE FAMILY UNIT.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE THAT ACTUALLY TODAY, UM, THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, CIVIL ENGINEER AND, AND THE ARCHITECT
[00:50:01]
ARE WORKING ON, UM, KIND OF THE SKETCH PLANS OF THIS, PROVIDED THE RENDERING AS WELL AS A, A, A RUDIMENTARY SKETCH OF WHAT THE INTERIOR DESIGN WOULD LOOK LIKE.UH, WHAT YOU SEE IS, IF YOU CAN SEE THROUGH THE, THE SQUIGGLY LINES IS A, A, IN ESSENCE A THREE BEDROOM UNIT, UM, THAT HAS TWO AND A HALF, WHICH IS A TWO AND A HALF BATH, UM, WITH, UH, LIVING SPACE KITCHEN.
UM, SO AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE, THE DEVELOPER
HE'S OUT OF TOWN, HE'S HAPPY TO COME BACK AND, AND DO A PRESENTATION SPECIFICALLY TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE.
UM, I WILL, WE'LL REACH OUT TO HIM TO SEE IF EITHER JANUARY OR MAYBE FEBRUARY MEETING, UM, HE CAN COME IN AND WE'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION AT THAT POINT, HE MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A, AN ACTUAL SKETCH OF THE SITE, SITE PLAN, UM, THAT WE CAN THEN PRESENT TO THE GROUP.
BUT THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT THAT WE HAVE AND IT IS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND OBVIOUSLY ONCE WE GET THROUGH PERMITTING, WE'LL BE ABLE TO START TO, TO MOVE SOME DIRT QUESTION.
SO FROM A A, UM, DELIVERY STANDPOINT, WHEN DO WE, WHEN WE SAY
WE ARE, WE'RE NOT IN THE, IN THE, WE'RE NOT IN THE OVERSIGHT.
WE'RE NOT OUT THERE ON SITE TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR PROJECT.
UM, HOPEFULLY BY THAT NEXT MEETING WHERE HE CAN COME AND PRESENT, HE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A KIND OF LIKE A, A TENTATIVE SCHEDULE.
BUT I DO NOT WANNA SPECULATE ON ANY TIME FRAMES.
I, I'LL TRY TO GET A LITTLE CLOSER TO YOU.
OUR, IT'S SO NICE TO SEE EVERYBODY IN PERSON.
I WAS LIKE, YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD MEETING OF Y'ALL STILL HERE,
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? MAY, UM, WE'LL TRY TO RECAP HER, UM, WITH YOU.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICE THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE ADOPTED THE AGENDA, I MEAN THE MEETING SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND UNLESS YOU HAVE SOME QUESTION MAYBE.
JUST WANTED TO SHOW UP AND SEE ALL YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACES IN PERSON.
NO, THIS IS, IS, THIS IS EXACTLY, I THINK IT'LL BE NICE TO HAVE BILL PRESENT AND KIND OF MAKE IT, MAKE IT REAL.
MR. CHAIRMAN, BEFORE WE FINISH MAY, I HAD ONE MORE COMMENT.
THIS, UH, UM, COUNSEL YOU BROUGHT THIS UP.
COUNCIL IS VERY AWARE THAT THESE TOWN HOMES AND THINGS ARE BEING BUILT WERE PRICED TO PRICE.
AND, BUT THE BUILDER'S ALREADY THERE.
AND THE ATTEMPT ON OUR BEHALF NOW IS EVERY TIME SOMEBODY SUBMITS THE STAFF THAT'S GONNA BUILD A COMPLEX, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA GO TALK TO THEM AND SEE IF THERE'S SOME LEEWAY THERE THAT THEY MIGHT SHOW SOME GOOD ART IN CONSIDERATION.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE BROUGHT UP, UM, BUT WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD A REAL IN DEPTH DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, IS THE VOUCHER MONEY IS SIGNIFICANT NOW, OKAY.
THE VOUCHER MONEY FOR LIKE A TWO BEDROOM IS LIKE 1700.
THAT INCLUDES UTILITIES AND I THINK A THREE BEDROOM'S UP TO ABOUT 2200.
UM, I THINK IT'S WORTH CONSIDERATION WHEN I SAY CONSIDERATION, I MEAN NOT JUST THIS TABLE, BUT YOU OTHERS.
UM, IF WE'RE GOING TO D THAT MARKET AT SOME POINT, IT MIGHT BEHOOVE US TO COME UP WITH AN IDEA TO SUBSIDIZE THAT VOUCHER MONEY.
IN OTHER WORDS, SOMEBODY WHERE THERE'S A MUNICIPALITY OR WHETHER IT'S A COUNTY OR WHETHER IT'S WHOEVER, IT MAY BE A NON-PROFIT.
UM, IF FOR EXAMPLE, THE RENT IS THE VOUCHER 1700, BUT THE, THE DEVELOPER WANTS 22, IT'S PROBABLY CHEAPER TO
[00:55:01]
FIND AN ADDITIONAL $500 NOW AT $6,000 IN 12, 12 MONTHS.BUT IT'S CHEAPER TO DO THAT THAN IT IS TO GO BUILD SOMETHING.
UM, AND THERE'S A MILLION GRANTS OUT THERE TO BE WRITTEN FOR THAT PARTICULAR THING THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I, EXCUSE ME, SAYS A HIGH TOTAL HYPOTHETICAL, UH, EXAMPLE.
SO I, I I JUST THROW THAT OUT THERE.
I THINK THAT INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOURSELVES OR OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES OR IN THE COUNTY OR ANYWHERE, I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER CONVERSATION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IS HOW CAN WE, CUZ THE PRODUCTS THERE, THE VOUCHERS EXIST, BUT WE'RE OUTTA MARKET.
HOW CAN WE BRIDGE THAT GAP FINANCIALLY? THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT THE REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND MAY COME ACROSS AT SOME POINT.
THEY SEE THAT IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO DO THAT THAN TO BUILD SOMETHING SOMETIMES.
SO WE WANT TO THANK YOU'ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UM, IT'S BEEN A VERY GOOD MEETING.
UM, JUST SORT OF, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GOOD WORK AND MEETING IS NOW IN ADJOURNED.