CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM

Department:	City Manager’s Office		Commission Meeting Date: February 5, 2019
Staff Contact:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
Recommendations/Options/Action Requested:
Receive recommendation from the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to not allocate an additional $90,0000 in funding for the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority/Family Promise of Lawrence in order to fully fund its $200,0000 proposal to provide rental assistance and case management services for low income families in Lawrence from 2019 Housing Trust Funds.
Executive Summary:		At the City Commission meeting on December 18, 2018, the City Commission authorized staff to draft agreements for two projects to support affordable housing in response to a request for proposals for non-capital projects.   The Commission directed staff to proceed with drafting agreements for the $200,000 in funding to these agencies.  The agreements associated with that allocation are the subject of another related agenda item. The Affordable Housing Advisory Board had recommended to split the available $200,000 in funding from the 2018 budget with $90,000 toward a proposal submitted by Tenants to Homeowners, Inc. and The Willow Domestic Violence Center and $110,000 for a proposal submitted by the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Family Promise of Lawrence.  The $110,000 was a portion of the $200,000 proposal from the Housing Authority and Family Promise.  During the course of the discussion of the item in December, the City Commission asked the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to consider fully funding the Housing Authority/Family Promise proposal by considering $90,000 from 2019 funds.  The Affordable Housing Advisory Board discussed this issue at its January 14, 2019 meeting.  The board expressed reluctance to consider funding outside of an open Request for Proposals process. Additionally, the board discussed its recommendations for 2019 funding during the same meeting. The board is going to be recommending a relatively small ($250,000) open funding allocation process for the first half of 2019, specifically targeted for projects/programs that could have an impact in 2019.  In other discussion, the Affordable Housing Advisory Board did acknowledge the authority of the City Commission to make the decisions regarding the Housing Trust funding.  The Affordable Housing Advisory Board is scheduled to discuss 2019 funding and goals for the Housing Trust funds at the February 12, 2019 work session with the City Commission.
Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor		Safe, Healthy, and Welcoming Neighborhoods Collaborative Solutions Economic Growth and Security
Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source):		$200,000 was allocated in the Housing Trust Fund from the 2018 budget for the Request for Proposals round in late 2018.    Any additional funds for allocation would be required to come from 2019 funding.
Attachments:		Draft January 14, 2019 Affordable Housing Advisory Board minutes

Reviewed By: (for CMO use only)

☐TM ☒DS ☐CT ☐BM