Category: Politics

This is the second part of my testimony on the Housing Trust Fund. During the course of the hearings Councilwoman Blackwell complained about how district Council members did not have enough control over housing project in their district. This issue will definitely come up again, as Councilwoman Blackwell has proposed an ordinance that would require the Trust Fund advisory board to report to Council as well as the Administration. This might not be a bad idea as the advisory committee does make recommendations about how Housing Trust Fund money should be distributed between, for example, new construction and the rehabilitation of existing housing units. As Councilwoman Tasco pointed out during I interchange I had with her in the hearing, this does seem to be a role for Council. However whether Council should approve each project is, I think, a different matter as I explain below. Continue reading

This is the first part of my testimony before City Council on the Housing Trust Fund. My argument here is against Councilwoman Blackwell’s proposed ordinance to divide the Housing Trust Fund money equally among the ten council districts. While this idea died in committee, it may come back again. So I thought it might be a good idea to post it. Chairwoman Blackwell, Members of the Committee Thank you for giving me an opportunity to testify about this ordinance. Continue reading

Council Hearings are being held today (Wednesday, June 7)) and tomorrow (Thursday, June 8 ) on three ordinances related to the Housing Trust Fund, which remains in danger. Here is some information on the hearing, the ordinances that will be considered, and my view of those ordinances. I urge you to contact your council members and all the at-large council members to express your views on these bill. You can find phone, fax and email contact information for Council members on my website. Or you can use the Hallwatch Faxbank Service to send a fax to all council members who represent you. Continue reading

As I previously reported, the budget passed by Council a week and a half ago included an amendment, sponsored by Jannie Blackwell, that transferred Housing Trust Fund money from one line item to another, thereby blocking expenditures of Housing Trust Funds on the creation of affordable housing in the next Fiscal Year. Early last week, Councilman Darrell Clarke introduced a transfer amendment that would move the money back. After a meeting of the advisory committee on the Trust Fund, Councilwoman Blackwell promised to vote for the transfer amendment. And then new threats to the fund arose. Continue reading