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I WILL NOW CALL TO ORDER THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OF THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, AND I WILL LOOK TO, UM, MS. DE MAYO AND, AND BY, AND START OFF BY ECHOING WHAT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL SAID EARLIER.CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD WORK ON THE GRANT.
AMAZING PUTTING THIS TOGETHER IN SHORT ORDER.
FOLKS, IF YOU'RE IN THE CHAMBERS AND, UM, YOU'RE TALKING, I WOULD PLEASE ASK THAT YOU TAKE YOUR CONVERSATION OUTSIDE SO THAT WE MAY CONDUCT, UH, THE ADDITIONAL BUSINESS.
MS. DE MAYO, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, SO GOOD AFTERNOON, MANDY DE MAYO.
UM, HANG ON, THEY'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME.
IF YOU'RE TALKING AND YOU'RE NOT MS. DEO
PLEASE TAKE YOUR CONVERSATIONS OUTSIDE.
I'M THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND THE TREASURER OF AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
UM, AND I AM HERE TO PRESENT THE AGENDA FOR TODAY AND I WELCOME OUR THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
UM, THERE ARE FOUR ITEMS ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY.
THE FIRST TWO ITEMS ARE RELATED TO A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, UH, DEVELOPMENT THAT WE ARE PURSUING WITH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED INDUSTRY A TX.
IT WILL RESULT IN 38 UNITS, UH, OF AFFORDABLE OWNERSHIP FOR FOLKS AT 60% AND 80% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME.
IT IS LOCATED IN DISTRICT TWO.
THE FIRST ITEM IS AUTHORIZING US MOVING FORWARD WITH A LOAN AGREEMENT FOR APPROXIMATELY $7.7 MILLION TO MAKE THIS PROJECT A REALITY.
AND THE SECOND ITEM IS AN AMENDMENT, UM, TO THE CERTIFICATE OF FORMATION FOR THE A HFC, UH, DROWSY WILLOW NONPROFIT CORPORATION.
YOU MAY, YOU MIGHT MOVE THAT MICROPHONE CLOSER TO YOUR MOUTH, WITH YOUR MOUTH CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE.
THE THIRD ITEM ON THE AGENDA, UM, IS AUTHORIZING STAFF TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A LOAN AGREEMENT, UM, WITH THE AUSTIN AREA URBAN LEAGUE FOR A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT THAT IS PROPOSED IN DISTRICT ONE.
IT WILL BE 80 UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING EFFICIENCY IN ONE BEDROOM UNITS.
UM, I DO WANNA NOTE THAT THIS IS A PROJECT THAT IS PART OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COLLABORATIVE, SO IT'S ALSO SUPPORTED BY TRAVIS COUNTY AND IT HAS 80 PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS, UH, FROM THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THIS, UH, LOAN AGREEMENT IS FOR A LITTLE OVER, UH, $4 MILLION, BRINGING THE TOTAL CITY SUPPORT THROUGH A HFC LOAN TO A LITTLE OVER $8 MILLION.
THE FOURTH AND FINAL ITEM, UH, IS FOR A PROJECT LOCATED IN DISTRICT FOUR.
JOHN'S REDEVELOPMENT, THE FORMER HOME DEPOT SITE.
UM, THIS IS WITH GREYSTAR DEVELOPMENT AND IT'S FOR $4 MILLION, UH, FOR A LOAN AGREEMENT.
IT WILL RESULT IN 526 UNITS OF HOUSING, AND 106 OF THOSE UNITS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO HOUSEHOLDS AT OR BELOW 50% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME.
I OFFER ALL OF THOSE ON CONSENT.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF MS. DE MAYO? YES, COUNCIL, UH, BOARD MEMBER ALTERS.
I WANTED TO ASK, UM, KIND OF A, A MORE HIGH LEVEL POLICY QUESTION AS IT RELATES TO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF REQUESTS ON, UH, HFC FOR OUR HOUSING DOLLARS AND HOW YOU ARE BALANCING REQUESTS LIKE WE SEE FOR, UH, ITEM NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, OVER $7 MILLION FOR 38 OWNERSHIP UNITS.
AND OWNERSHIP IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OF WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS, BUT AS DEMONSTRATED BY THIS IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE PER UNIT, YOU KNOW, COMPARING TO THE ST.
JOHN'S, UH, ITEM, WHICH IS $4 MILLION AND OVER 200 UNITS AT 60% OR BELOW.
AND SO I'M JUST, I WANT TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND YOUR THOUGHTS AND, AND HOW WE BALANCE THAT AND MAYBE DO WE NEED TO REEVALUATE THE OWNERSHIP QUESTION JUST GIVEN ITS EXPENSE AND THE LIMITED RESOURCE? WE ARE.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE ARE BALANCING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PRIORITIES THAT ARE ALL ARTICULATED IN THE STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT.
THIS GOES TO THE EARLIER ITEM A HUNDRED, UH, ONE 12, WHICH IS HELP PROVIDING FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO UPDATE THE STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT, UM, TO TACKLE SOME OF THOSE LARGER POLICY QUESTIONS, THE PUSH AND PULL OF WHERE WE INVEST OUR DOLLARS AND OUR RESOURCES.
UM, AT THIS POINT, UH, WE TRY TO BALANCE THAT WITH, UM, OUR FUNDING AVAILABILITY.
WE HAVE SOME FUNDING THAT IS AVAILABLE, AVAILABLE FOR OWNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND SOME FUNDING THAT IS STRICTLY FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE TRY TO BALANCE THAT THROUGH OUR QUARTERLY APPLICATION PROCESS FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND OWNERSHIP, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE, RHODA AND ODA.
I WILL SAY THAT WE ENGAGED A CONSULTING COMPANY, A
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NATIONAL CONSULTING COMPANY, UH, BACK IN JUNE.THIS WAS A CONTRACT THAT WENT THROUGH A HFC, UM, TO LOOK AT OUR RHODA AND ODA PROCESSES, OUR PROGRAM GUIDELINES, OUR PRIORITIES WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF THAT WORK HAS, THAT INITIAL STAGE HAS BEEN WRAPPED UP.
FEBRUARY 13TH, YOU'LL HAVE AN ITEM COMING BEFORE YOU, UM, FOR SOME IMPLEMENTATION WORK.
IT'S A, A SMALLER CONTRACT, ABOUT $200,000.
UM, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THESE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR, WE WILL BE WORKING TO IMPLEMENT, IMPLEMENT ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, FROM GUIDEHOUSE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE, UH, GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN TERMS OF OUR FUNDING SOURCES, FUNDING AVAILABILITY, AND ALSO, UM, UH, KIND OF TIGHTENING UP BOTH OUR UNDERWRITING GUIDELINES AS WELL AS, UM, OUR, OUR PROCESSES FOR PUTTING OUT SOLICITATIONS AND APPLICATIONS.
BOARD, BOARD B, I'M SORRY, BOARD MEMBER VELA.
I JUST WANTED TO, UM, UH, THANK, UH, MS, UH DE MAYO AND THE, THE STAFF AT AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
JOHN PROJECT SHOULD BE THE, UH, LAST PUZZLE PIECE THAT FALLS IN PLACE TO MAKE THE PROJECT HAPPEN.
IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT PROJECT, 500 PLUS UNITS, UH, LOTS OF AFFORDABILITY IN IT.
THERE'S, UH, SOME COMMERCIAL UNITS AS WELL, A BRAND NEW PARK, UH, EXPANDING FROM ABOUT, I THINK ABOUT TWO ACRES TO ABOUT FOUR ACRES OR SO.
UH, JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, BENEFITS THAT WILL COME WITH IT.
IT'S BEEN A LONG ROAD TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE, BUT UH, AGAIN, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU.
SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS ON THE AGENDA AND REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, GROUNDBREAKING IN CONSTRUCTION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF STAFF COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, FORGIVE ME, I MAY BE IN THE BACKUP, BUT WHO IS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CO CORPORATION? THAT'S THE STEWARD FOR THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST FOR THE D TWO PROJECT.
SO THE D TWO PROJECT IS AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
WE HAVE A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND WE WILL BE DEVELOPING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY A TX, THOSE 38 UNITS AND THOSE WILL BE PUT INTO A HFCS COMMUNITY LAND TRUST.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ABOUT 50 UNITS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND, UH, WE'RE SET TO MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT WITH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS ON THE HORIZON, INCLUDING THIS ONE.
I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WE HAD TO HAVE A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN ORDER TO EXECUTE THE TASK, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND LAND BANKING.
NO, WE DO HAVE, HFC HAS A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST.
IT'S AUSTIN CLT, UM, AND WE DO SELL, UM, HOMES TO FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS AT OR BELOW 80% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME.
OTHER QUESTIONS OF STAFF BEFORE WE GO TO SPEAKERS? THANK YOU.
UH, WE WILL NOW GO TO SPEAKERS ON THE, ON THE PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA.
THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR ITEM THREE, ZENOBIA JOSEPH, MS. JOSEPH, AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING SHE IS SIGNED UP ON ANOTHER ITEM AS WELL, FOUR AS WELL.
SO, UH, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES ON ITEM NUMBER THREE AND THEN TWO MINUTES ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
THANK YOU, MAYOR COUNCIL, I'M ENOVIA JOSEPH.
MY COMMENTS AS THEY ALWAYS ARE IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN AS IT RELATES TO ITEM THREE, THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT PROPERTY ON FM 9 69 DOES NOT HAVE A SIDEWALK AND AN INDIVIDUAL WAS KILLED IN HIS WHEELCHAIR, RIGHT BY THE DOLLAR GENERAL.
AND AT REGENCY THERE'S A ROADSIDE MEMORIAL.
IT IS DISINGENUOUS TO CONTINUE TO USE INCOME AS A PROXY FOR RACE DISCRIMINATION.
THE UNITS THAT ARE NORTH OF US, 180 3 TEND TO HAVE 50 TO 60% AREA MEDIAN INCOME, AND THOSE THAT ARE WEST PREDOMINANTLY ARE 80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME.
AND ON THE RAIL LINE AS WELL AS IT RELATES TO THE ST.
JOHN'S PROJECT, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THE BAIT AND SWITCH.
THERE'S LANGUAGE AND BACKUP THAT SPECIFIES THAT AFTER 39 YEARS, THE CITY CAN HAVE A REVERSION BACK TO MARKET RATE UNITS.
SO I WOULD ASK CHEETO VELA TO GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND RECOGNIZE THIS IS THE AREA WHERE AFRICAN AMERICANS OWNED 300 ACRES OF LAND AND AFTER PEOPLE TURN THEIR HEADS, THEY WILL NO LONGER EVEN BE ABLE TO LIVE THERE.
IT IS DEEPLY DISTURBING, MAYOR, BECAUSE THESE PROJECTS DO NOT AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHER FAIR HOUSING.
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SO I THINK YOU RECOGNIZE THAT IT NOT ONLY VIOLATES TITLE VI, BUT YOU'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE FAIR HOUSING ACT EITHER.AND SO I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE ONCE AGAIN THAT YOU HAVE NOT DONE RIGHT BY AFRICAN AMERICANS, AND SO I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER VOTING AGAINST THE $4 MILLION.
IT FEELS LIKE THE $4 MILLION NEGRO DAY AT COUNCIL, $4 MILLION FOR ITEM THREE, $4 MILLION FOR ITEM FOUR.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
MS. JOSEPH, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK ON ITEM FOUR OR HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR COMMENT? WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WERE COMBINING THE TIME OR NOT, MA'AM.
YOU GET, YOU GET TO SPEAK ON BOTH OF THEM.
THAT'S WHY I SAID YOU CAN SPEAK ON BOTH.
UH, SO LET ME JUST TALK ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION ASPECT OF IT, MAYOR, AND IT IS GERMANE.
I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT ROUTE 3 39 IS A 60 MINUTE BLACK ROUTE THAT RUNS ON FM 9 69 AND THAT YOUR STAFF AND BACKUP ACTUALLY SPECIFIES THAT THAT IS GOOD ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION.
BUT US 180 3, THE BUSES THAT RUN THERE, 18 WAS A 15 MINUTE ROUTE TO UT IT IS NOW 30 MINUTES, BUT STILL AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE TO WALK APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES TO GET TO THE FREQUENT BUS LINE.
I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT BUS ROUTE IS INNER LINE WITH 2 37, WHICH IS COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE, AND THE PEOPLE OVER THERE ARE WAITING TWO HOURS IN THEIR WHEELCHAIRS WHEN THE ONE HOUR 60 MINUTE BUS IS CUT.
I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO DO BETTER BY US AS IT RELATES TO TRANSIT.
IT'S IN YOUR CITY CHARTER, AND SO YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO FUND TRANSIT AND IT SHOULD BE EQUITABLE AS YOU ARE WELL AWARE.
AND SO I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU'VE NOT DONE ENOUGH AND YOU'VE TURNED A BLIND EYE.
WE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE FAR NORTHEAST CORNERS, SOUTHEAST CORNERS OF THE CITY.
AND SO AT TIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT'S LILY WHITE ON THE INSIDE AND IT'S BROWNING ON THE OUTSIDE.
I WOULD ASK YOU TO DO BETTER BIAS.
MAYOR, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THE VALUES YESTERDAY WHEN YOU TALKED TO TEXAS TRIBUNE, AND IF THOSE VALUES INCLUDE EQUITY AND NOT JUST EQUITY ON PAPER, I WOULD ASK YOU TO DO MORE FOR US AND TO ACTUALLY VOTE AGAINST THESE PROJECTS.
YOU HAVE THE POWER AND YOU CAN DO IT.
AND SO I WOULD ASK YOU TO COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL LAW AND TO ACTUALLY DO MORE FOR BLACK PEOPLE.
YEAH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAVE SUCH AN AVERSION TO US, AND LET ME JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR CABINET IS FILLED WITH BLACK PEOPLE MAKING LOTS OF MONEY, BUT THAT IS NOT MAKING THE CITY EQUITABLE.
YOU'LL TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS LATER, AND I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THERE, AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE OVER SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE HOMELESS THAN OUR WHITE COUNTERPARTS, AND THIS IS NOT GOING TO CONNECT THEM TO SERVICES.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL SPEAKERS, MAYOR MEMBERS.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL SPEAKERS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
I'LL NOW ENTERTAIN A MOTION WITH REGARD TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.
MOTION IS MADE BY THE VICE PRESIDENT SECONDED BY, UH, BOARD MEMBER ALTER.
I'LL CALL FOR ANY DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM, BUT THEN I, AT THAT POINT I'LL ASK IF THERE'S ANYONE ISSUE TO RECUSE THEMSELVES.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDAS THAT'S BEEN LAID OUT? IS THERE ANYONE WISHING TO BE SHOWN RECUSING THEMSELVES FROM A VOTE ON THE BOARD OF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION? ANYONE WISHING TO ABSTAIN FROM VOTING ON AN ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? ANYONE WISHING TO BE SHOWN VOTING NO ON ONE OF THE ITEMS? SEEING NONE IN THAT CASE, THE, UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION IS ADOPTED.
UM, MEMBERS WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE WILL ADJOURN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OF THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION AT 1:50 PM.