Title
Appoint a City Commissioner to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (B)
To be consistent with recent change to State Law, this item requests the City Commission appoint one of its members to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC).
Explanation
Since 1992, the City of Gainesville has participated in the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program which provides Florida cities and counties with funds to promote and preserve affordable housing and homeownership. The SHIP Program is governed by Chapter 420, Part VII, of the Florida Statutes and is administered locally by the City’s Office of Housing and Community Development.
During the last legislative session, the State Legislature made several changes to the SHIP Program, including one that involves the composition of the AHAC. The City Commission is now required to appoint one of its members to the AHAC, by October 1, 2020. In addition to regular AHAC membership duties, the Commissioner Committee Member must attend regional training workshops two times per year. The workshops are convened and administered under the State’s Affordable Housing Catalyst Program.
According to State statutes, the AHAC shall consist of 8 to 11 members. The AHAC must include one member of the City Commission and a citizen from at least six of the following categories: 1) home building industry; 2) banking or mortgage banking industry; 3) representative of labor in the home building industry; 4) an advocate for low-income persons; 5) a for-profit provider of affordable housing; 6) a not-for-profit provider of affordable housing; 7) a real estate professional; 8) a City plan board member; 9) a City resident; 10) a representative of employers; and 11) a representative of essential service personnel as defined in the City's Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP).
The AHAC’s primary purpose is to review all the City’s plans, policies, codes, regulations and procedures that impact the costs of ho...
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