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TO ORDER THE AUSTIN HOUSING AND FINANCE CORPORATION, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, AND I'LL[Consent]
RECOGNIZE STAFF.GOOD MORNING, MR. PRESIDENT MADAM VICE PRESIDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
I AM THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER WITH THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.
UH, BEFORE YOU HAVE FOUR ITEMS ON YOUR AGENDA, THREE OF THESE ITEMS ARE INDUCEMENT RESOLUTIONS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND LOTTERY HELD BY THE BOND REVIEW BOARD IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UH, THESE APPLICATIONS WILL BE SUBMITTED, THE LOTTERY WILL BE AT THE, IN, UH, LATE OCTOBER, EARLY NOVEMBER.
UM, AND THAT WILL DECIDE WHEN.
MY APOLOGIES IF YOU'RE TALKING, IF YOU'RE TALKING AND YOU'RE NOT STANDING AT THE PODIUM, YOU SHOULDN'T BE TALKING.
UH, THE BOND ACTIVITY, THE BOND REVIEW BOARD LOTTERY WILL DETERMINE WHEN, UH, THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE FUNDED AND THEN ULTIMATELY CONSTRUCTED.
UH, THIS DOES NOT COMMIT, UH, THE CITY, UH, TO ANY FUNDING.
IT JUST, UH, ALLOWS FOR THE APPLICATION OF THESE BONDS.
UH, THE FIRST IS A $26 MILLION PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND APPLICATION FOR THE MARY LEE SQUARE PHASE ONE, UH, LOCATED AT, UH, LAMAR SQUARE DRIVE.
THIS WILL GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 175 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS.
UH, THE SECOND INDUCEMENT RESOLUTION IS FOR $25 MILLION PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND, UH, FOR PLEASANT VALLEY LP.
UH, THIS IS 5,900 SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD AND WILL GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 96 AFFORDABLE UNITS.
THE THIRD, UH, INDUCEMENT RESOLUTION IS FOR A $50 MILLION OR, UH, 1.7% OF THE STATE CEILING.
AND THAT IS HOW THE APPLICATION, UH, IS, UH, SUGGESTED TO BE WRITTEN, UH, FOR THE, UH, 4,500 KNUCKLES CROSSING ROAD TO GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 296 AFFORDABLE UNITS.
YOUR FOURTH ITEM BEFORE YOU IS YOUR, IS AN EXTENSION, UH, AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE, UH, ECHO, UH, CONTRACT, WHICH IS A RE RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING CONSULTING CONTRACT, UH, TO GET US THROUGH THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
UH, THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL $100,000 FOR THIS CONTRACT.
I OFFER ALL FOUR OF THESE ITEMS ON CONSENT MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.
UH, THANK YOU MR. MAY, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS IN THE PAST THAT Y'ALL KIND OF HAVE A, A METRIC OR BENCHMARK THAT YOU USE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SUBSIDY PER UNIT.
WHAT IS, IF YOU COULD REMIND ME WHAT THAT NUMBER IS OF $50,000 IS, IS STANDING OUT IN MY MIND, BUT THAT MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT.
WHAT FOR, UH, FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, WE DO KIND OF SET A BENCHMARK OF AROUND $50,000.
NOW THAT BENCHMARK WAS SET BEFORE, UH, WHEN WE WERE IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ECONOMY.
SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT NUMBER IS NOT NECESSARILY OPERATIVE, HOWEVER, IT IS STILL OUR TARGET.
AND IS THAT FOR, AT A CERTAIN AFFORDABILITY LEVEL, IS THAT 80? 60 50? WE'RE FOR THE RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WE ONLY FUND AN, UH, FINANCE PROGRAM, UM, UNITS THAT ARE AFFORDABLE BELOW 50%.
THE, THE REASON WHY I ASK, AND, AND I'M NOT HERE TO TO OBJECT OR STOP ONE OF THESE, BUT ITEM NUMBER TWO, THE, UM, PLEASANT VALLEY APARTMENTS.
THE EXPECTED REQUEST FROM A H F C IS $10.6 MILLION FOR 93 UNITS, WHICH IS $114,000 OF SUBSIDY PER UNIT.
AND THAT JUST STUCK OUT AT ME AS, AS QUITE A BIT HIGH AND MAYBE THERE'S SOME SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES HERE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHY SUCH A DEEP SUBSIDY HERE.
SO, UH, THAT IS A DECISION AND A CONVERSATION THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE WITH THE APPLICANT, UH, CONCERNING THE SUBSIDY LEVEL IN THE APPLICATION FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.
UH, THAT APPLICATION, IF IT IS UNDER CONSIDERATION RIGHT NOW, WILL BE REVIEWED AS PART OF THE NOVEMBER, UH, A H F C BOARD MEETING.
UM, HOWEVER, THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE WORK WITH THE APPLICANT TO DISCOVER ULTI ALTERNATE FORMS OF FINANCING AND TO, UH, BASICALLY DO, UH, VALUE ENGINEERING TO ENSURE THAT OUR SUBSIDY PER UNIT IS AT A TARGET THAT WE CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF STAFF, UH, MEMBERS? UH, IT'S THE INTENTION OF THE CHAIR TO, UH, TO TAKE UP, UH, ITEMS A H S C ONE THROUGH FOUR AS A CONSENT AGENDA AS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF.
IS THERE ANYONE THAT WISHES TO PULL ONE OF THESE ITEMS FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA? YES.
I I THINK WE HAVE A SPEAKER ON ITEM NUMBER ONE.
IF NOT, I'D LIKE TO PULL IT SO THAT HE CAN SPEAK.
UH, WELL, THEY'RE GOING, WE'RE GOING HAVE SPEAKING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I'M I, THE FACES WERE BEING MADE AND I'M NO, YEAH, I APOLOGIZE.
FACES ARE MADE AT ME ALL THE TIME.
YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T EVEN REACT.
ARE YOU, UM, I JUST WANNA KNOW IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT HAS SOMETHING THEY WANNA PULL RIGHT NOW.
ALL RIGHT, NOW WE WILL OPEN, WE WILL OPEN IT UP FOR COMMENT, UH, ON ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AS READ ITEMS ONE THROUGH FOUR, AND I'LL RECOGNIZE THE CITY
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CLERK.WE HAVE ONE REMOTE SPEAKER ON ITEM H F C FOUR ZENOBIA JOSEPH.
SO WHOEVER WAS MAKING FACES AT YOU, JUST MAKING FACES AT YOU
I KNOW SOMEONE TO BE HERE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER ONE AND POTENTIALLY HE DIDN'T SIGN UP.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHO I WAS HOPING WE COULD HEAR FROM.
HE, HE ALWAYS MAKES FACES AT ME.
IS, IS MS. JOSEPH AVAILABLE? I'LL TRY AGAIN.
IN PERSON WE HAVE WALTER MONROE FOR H S C NUMBER ONE.
I'M WALTER MONROE, THE E EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES.
UH, I KNOW WE'RE ON CONSENT, UH, BUT I DID WANNA TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND JUST TALK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MARY LEE FOUNDATION 'CAUSE IT'S SUCH A REMARKABLE PROJECT.
AND THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE WAS IN DECEMBER WHEN THE STATESMAN PUD ZONING CAME UP.
UM, MARY LEE IS A 65 YEAR OLD NONPROFIT THAT HAS FOCUSED ON SURFING VERY SPECIAL NEEDS, UH, FOLKS.
AND THEY HAVE SEVEN ACRES OF LAND, 14 BUILDINGS, JUST A MILE FROM HERE ON SOUTH LAMAR.
IT'S ALL THE LAND BEHIND THE SAXON PUB AND MA'S.
WE'VE, WE'VE COME VERY FAR IN THE CIVIL ENGINEERING AND THE DESIGN TO BASICALLY TRIPLE THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS THAT CAN LIVE IN THIS LOCATION.
INCLUDE MUSICIANS, FAMILIES WITH KIDS THAT CAN WALK TO ZILKER ELEMENTARY.
UM, WE REALLY WANNA SAVE THE HOUSING THAT'S THERE NOW, UH, THAT CAN BE SAVED FOR THE CURRENT RESIDENTS.
WE HAD TWO REALLY WONDERFUL RESIDENT MEETINGS, UH, AND RECENTLY TO TALK ABOUT THE VISION.
AND PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED.
10 OF THE 14 BUILDINGS ARE IN VERY POOR CONDITION AND CRUMBLING, AND SO WE'VE GOT TO GET THEM REBUILT.
UM, WHAT YOU HAVEN'T, WE NEED THE CITY'S HELP ON A PROJECT OF THIS SCALE.
UH, WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY IS A PRETTY BASIC REQUEST TO GO INTO THE BOND LOTTERY.
THAT'S JUST LIKE STEP ONE IN GETTING HOUSING CREDITS.
UH, WE'RE ALSO GONNA COME BACK LATER.
WE, LAMAR SQUARE IS A BIG BROAD STREET THAT MAKES A CIRCLE.
AND OUR PLAN IS TO VACATE THAT STREET WITH THE CITY SO THAT IT CAN BE USED AS A, UM, FOR MORE DENSITY.
UM, THE, UM, THE PROPERTY RIGHT NOW IS A HUNDRED PERCENT EXEMPT FROM TAXES.
THE MINUTE WE MAKE A CHANGE, IT GOES BACK ON THE TAX ROLLS.
SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH STAFF ABOUT SOME KIND OF A STRUCTURE THAT KEEPS THE PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION SO WE CAN KEEP THE DEEP AFFORDABILITY AT 30% LEVELS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
AND OUR VISION IS REALLY TO CREATE A INTEGRATED COMMUNITY WHERE FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES CAN LIVE CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN, BUT IN A COMMUNITY OF FOLKS.
THE LAST THING I WANTED TO SAY IS, UH, WE'RE GONNA NEED HELP.
I'M MAKE, I'M GONNA MAKE FACES AT YOU
BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU, WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO.
UM, AND I'VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH THE MARY LEE FOUNDATION FOR A LONG TIME.
I'M REALLY, I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP.
UM, I THINK EVERYBODY'S IN AGREEMENT ON THAT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. MONROE.
WE HAVE OPIA JOSEPH ON H HFC FOUR.
COUNCIL DIRECTORS, I'M ENOVIA JOSEPH.
MY COMMENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION, $100,000, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS DE MINIMUS.
I WOULD ASK THE MAYOR PRO TIM ELLIS TO STRETCH OUR LIMITED DOLLARS TO HELP BLACK PEOPLE.
AS YOU ARE AWARE, THE JULY 1ST, 2022 ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS REPORT SPECIFIED THAT BLACKS, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE OVER SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN WHITES TO EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN.
I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO HAVE A WORK SESSION HOMELESS STRATEGY UPDATE THAT WOULD INCLUDE MEASURABLE OUTCOMES, INCLUDING SALARIES THAT YOU'VE ALLOCATED TO ECHO.
I WOULD ALSO ASK YOU TO INCLUDE LYNN MEREDITH AND DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE TO SEE WHERE THE PRIVATE DOLLARS ARE AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO AUDIT FINDINGS OF MCKENZIE KELLY AND LESLIE POOLE.
OUR TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS ASKED FOR AN AUDIT, WHICH SPECIFY THAT THE CITY ALONE BUDGETED $179 MILLION IN THREE YEARS.
AND THE AUDIT REPORT FOUND THE CITY DEPARTMENT'S LACK DETAIL INVENTORIES OF AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS SHOWING HOW MONEY IS BEING SPENT.
I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT AND TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE AUDIT ALSO FOUND THAT DEPARTMENTS DO NOT USE DATA TO IMPROVE PROCESSES.
SO HERE YOU HAVE DATA THAT TELLS YOU ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS, BUT IN THE HISTORIC $5.5 BILLION BUDGET, YOU'VE NOT ADDRESSED THE NEEDS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO ARE LANGUISHING BLACK
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MEN ARE AT BUS STOPS.AND YOU HAVE PUT US IN WAREHOUSES AT THE MARSHALING YARD.
PLEASE DO BETTER, MAYOR, THIS IS A MATTER WE'RE THE OF COMPLAINTS.
OFFICE ZERO SIX AT HUD DO GOV.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME, BUT I DON'T SEE THE OUTCOMES FROM ECHO.
THAT CONCLUDES A H F C SPEAKERS.
UM, MEMBERS, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS ON THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONSENT AGENDA.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE, FIRST OF ALL, IS THERE ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO PULL SOMETHING? COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON MOVES ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AS IT'S BEEN READ.
IT IS SECONDED BY THE MAYOR PRO TIM OR VICE CHAIR.
I TEND TO LOSE WHAT BOARD MEETING WE'RE HAVING HERE.
UM, IS THERE, THE CHAIR INTENDS TO TAKE THIS UP AS A MATTER OF LACK OF OBJECTION.
IS THERE ANYONE WISHING TO ABSTAIN FROM A VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? ANYONE WISHING TO RECUSE THEMSELVES? ANYONE WISHING TO BE SHOWN VOTING NO ON THE CONSIDERED, UH, BOARD MEMBER? UH, KELLY.
PLEASE REFLECT, UH, NO VOTE FOR ITEMS TWO, THREE, AND FOUR FROM, UM, MEMBER KELLY.
ANYBODY ELSE? ALRIGHT, WITHOUT OBJECTION.
WE WILL ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION WITH BOARD MEMBER KELLY BEING SHOWN VOTING NO ON ITEMS TWO, THREE, AND FOUR THERE, MA, I DIDN'T HEAR.
WHO'S SECONDED? SECOND BY THE MAYOR PRO TEMP.
UM, THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 11:23 AM I WILL NOW CALL TO.