02/25/1991 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. e e would like to see the housing fund provide seed money to form the basis for a market so people could then get into industrialized housing construction. Mr. Roberts said that ideally it would be good to have a county-wide housing program. However, he said most county revenue measures fail. He said he agreed with the concept of industrialized housing. However, he said some people feel the need to create more good paying jobs and others feel that they are being unfairly taxed to subsidize someone else's business opportuni- ty. He suggested that the political climate should be tested. Ms. Ehrman asked how much of the region's housing shortage would be eliminat- ed if the City participated in an affordable housing fund. Mr. Roberts said there did not seem to be many sources of revenue for housing projects at the County level. He said he hoped the Board of County Commissioners would fol- low through on an initiative to give the City of Eugene and the City of Springfield road funds in exchange for a commitment of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) moneys for housing. He said the County could be involved in exchanges such as this, but might not be able to contribute much more in General Funds to new housing programs. Mr. Van Landingham reviewed a letter he had written dated February 25, 1991, entitled "Reasons for Emphasizing New Permanent Low-Income Housing over New Emergency Shelter Space." He explained that the Lane County Housing Task Force put high priority on new permanent housing rather than emergency or transitional housing. Mr. Van Landingham said that about one month ago Springfield Mayor Bill Morrisette proposed at a meeting of the Housing Policy Board the creation of a new emergency shelter and transitional housing project. He explained why he continues to believe that permanent affordable housing should be the focus of community efforts. Mr. Van Landingham said the State House of Representatives seems very sup- portive of a trust fund allocation of approximately $35 million from the Homeowner and Renter Refund Program (HARP). He said this fund would probably give priority to local match moneys. Mr. Nicholson asked if the State Constitution makes any significant distinc- tion between counties and municipalities as far as this kind of funding goes. Mr. Van Landingham said the State authorizes cities to have housing authori- ties. He said the City of Eugene contracts with HACSA. Mr. Gleason said that when the council made housing one of its goals it asked City staff to assist County staff in this effort. Mr. MacDonald pointed out that the cost of City staff time spent on the hous- ing issue probably exceeded $100,000. He added that countless volunteer hours have also been spent on the City's housing program. Mr. Boles said he was concerned about the County's ability to contribute to an affordable housing fund. Mr. Van Landingham said it appeared that $35 million would be taken from the HARP, with half going to prevention programs MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 25, 1991 Page 5