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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 2024 HCDC PacketIf you will need disability-related accommodations to participate in this program or event, please contact Brianna Thul at bthul@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5230. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Upcoming Housing & Community Development Commission Meeting: Regular: May 16, 2024 HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (HCDC) April 18, 2024 Regular Meeting – 6:30 PM Iowa City Senior Center Assembly Room 28 S Linn Street AGENDA: 1.Call to Order 2.Consideration of Meeting Minutes: March 21, 2023 3.Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda Commentators shall address the commission for no more than five minutes. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items. 4.Final Presentation from Aid to Agencies Subcommittee HCDC formed a subcommittee on January 19, 2023 to review the Aid to Agencies process. The subcommittee has completed their work and provided a final report. The subcommittee will present their report to HCDC and staff for feedback. Information from the subcommittee and HCDC will be considered by staff to determine next steps. 5.Unsuccessful and Delayed Projects Updates The City’s Unsuccessful and Delayed Projects Policy requires CDBG recipients to expend a minimum of 50% of the funds awarded by March 15th during the fiscal year they are funded. Commissioners will review and discuss the updates submitted for three projects that are behind schedule:1) FY22 Shelter House HVAC Improvements ($225,000), 2) FY24 Shelter House Safety Improvements, and 3) FY23 DVIP Shelter Construction ($545,000). 6.Discuss Recommendation to Amend the HCDC By-laws and Change Regular Meeting Time and Location The commission will discuss a potential amendment that includes reducing the size of the commission from nine to seven members. The adjustment would also change the number of members required to form a quorum from five to four. The commission may not vote on the matter until the following regular meeting. The meeting will also include a discussion on changing the time and location of HCDC meetings which does not require an amendment to the by-laws. 7.Staff & Commission Updates This item includes an opportunity for brief updates from staff and commissioners. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion on updates. 8.Adjournment Housing and Community Development Commission Meeting Packet Contents April 18, 2024 Agenda Item #2 •March 21, 2023 Draft HCDC Meeting Minutes Agenda Item #4 •Aid to Agencies Subcommittee Final Report Agenda Items #5 •Shelter House Project Status Update •DVIP Project Status Update Agenda Item #6 •April 15, 2024 Staff Memo – Staff Recommendations for the Housing and Community Development Commission MINUTES PRELIMINARY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 21, 2024 – 6:30 PM FORMAL MEETING THE CENTER ASSEMBLY ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Kaleb Beining, Maryann Dennis, Becci Reedus, Denise Szecsei, Kyle Vogel MEMBERS ABSENT: Horacio Borgen, Karol Krotz, Kiran Patel, James Pierce STAFF PRESENT: Erika Kubly, Brianna Thul, Rachel Carter OTHERS PRESENT: Crissy Canganelli (Shelter House), Will Kapp (Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County), Emily Sinnwell (Escucha Mi Voz), Ninosko Campos (Escucha Mi Voz), Jane Noble Davis (Catholic Worker House), Bob Untiedt (TRAIL), Jim Kringlen (Iowa Legal Aid), Sara Krieger (VNA/Iowa City Hospice), Merrilee Ramsey (Iowa City Sober Living), Genevieve Anglin (UAY), Simon Andrew (The Housing Fellowship), Kristie Doser (DVIP), Marguerite Oetting (Healthy Kids School Based Clinics), Jessica Andino (Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition) RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: By a vote of 4-1 (Reedus dissenting) the Commission recommends the following recommendations for Emerging Aid to Agencies: Agency/Project FY25 Request Staff Recommendations HCDC Average Recommendations March EA2A Group Funding Recommendations Iowa City Compassion $15,000 $7,500 $6,583 $6,000 TRAIL $12,000 $6,000 $5,500 $5,500 Escucha Mi Voz $15,000 $7,500 $5,167 $8,000 Iowa City Sober Living $10,000 $5,000 $4,583 $7,500 Visiting Nurses Association $15,000 $5,500 $4,167 $0 Iowa City Hospice $15,000 $5,500 $3,750 $5,000 Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County $15,000 $0 $2,500 $0 Healthy Kids School Based Clinics $15,000 $0 $2,167 $5,000 Iowa Legal Aid $12,500 $0 $1,500 $0 Total $124,500 $37,000 $35,917 $37,000 AGENDA ITEM #2 Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 2 of 8 2 By a vote of 5-0 the Commission recommends the following recommendations for CBDG/HOME funds: Request Staff Recommendations HCDC Individual Score Summary March HCDC Meeting Recommendations Agency/Project FY25 Request Staff Score Staff CDBG Funding Rec. Staff HOME Funding Rec. HCDC Average Score HCDC CDBG Funding Rec. HCDC HOME Funding Rec. Iowa City Housing Authority - Tenant Based Rental Assistance $300,000 320 94% NA - ineligible $300,000 295 NA - ineligible $300,000 Shelter House - Rental Rehab $93,523 270 79% $0 $0 272* $0 $85,327 The Housing Fellowship - Rental Acquisition $420,000 287 84% $190,000 $230,000 267 $190,000 $144,673 Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County - Public Facility Improvements $65,000 257 76% $34,000 NA - ineligible 261 $34,000 $0 DVIP - Rental New Construction $304,250 258 76% NA - ineligible $0 252 $0 $0 United Action for Youth - Rental Acquisition $200,000 211 62% $0 $0 236 $0 $0 Total $1,382,773 NA $224,000 $530,000 NA $224,000 $530,000 CALL MEETING TO ORDER: Beining called the meeting to order at 6:39 PM. WELCOME NEW MEMBER: Deferred – new member was not in attendance. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: NOVEMBER 16, 2023: Vogel moved to approve the minutes of November 16, 2023. Dennis seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the minutes were approved 5-0. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Ninosko Campos and Emily Sinnwell introduced the recent health equity report focused on immigrant and refugee worker health in Johnson County. Copies of the report Salud, Techo, Y Trabajo: A Health Equity Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 3 of 8 3 Report or Policymakers, Community Organizations, Workers and Everyday People was provided to the commission. Ninosko Campos stated she was from Honduras and is an asylum seeker and a member of a Escucha Mi Voz. This month, they're going to be sharing a report that they did for City Council and the Johnson County Supervisors about public health where they surveyed 481 immigrant workers in Johnson County. Ninosko shared a copy of the report with the Commission and offered to come to a future meeting to present on the report. DISCUSS FY25 EMERGING AID TO AGENCIES (EA2A) FUNDING REQUESTS AND CONSIDER BUDGET RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL: Reedus noted there was comment in the staff recommendations regarding an agency shouldn't receive funds more than two years, but she could not find any documentation that was a rule so if it wasn't a written/published rule she doesn’t think it should be something they adhere to. Kubly replied she it isn’t a formal rule rather it is something they use to determine their recommendation. Reedus stated that if they are going to use that type of thing, it should be a published rule as it helps keep things transparent and helps in making decisions. She doesn’t want agencies applying for money and spending all that time doing applications if they're not eligible. Kubly noted in the application there is the language that states the funding is not intended to be an ongoing source of funding. Thul stated that the memo includes staff recommendations – the issue is not that they are ineligible. If the Commission wants to recommend funding they certainly could. Dennis asked if agencies not funded could then apply for Legacy funding. Reedus replied no and stated then that's the problem. There's a funding cliff. If they get funds for Emerging Agencies for two years, they die on the cliff unless they're accepted to be a Legacy Agency. She noted they have three organizations offering services to immigrants, non-documented folks, which is becoming quite an issue. If they were to receive funds for two years, what happens in another two years and they have no place else to go? They don't have the ability to get Emerging Agency funds and the Legacy group is a closed group. Vogel stated on the other side, he likes it as a guideline and they have to put a limit on what an Emerging Agency needs to be and at what point are they no longer Emerging. He noted in Iowa City there are hundreds of organizations and agencies that exist and could obviously use some assistance and there's absolutely a finite amount of funds, both in Legacy and Emerging. Yes there is a cliff, but the cliff is supposed to be, here's the City helping organizations get started. Then they have a couple years of being able to hire the people and get to the next point where they need to do fundraising and find private donors or other grant opportunities. The City is helping organizations get started but there isn’t just an ongoing source of funds. Reedus stated it takes a whole lot more than two years to develop the resources to be able to raise money in a nonprofit organization, to have one development director for an organization is going to be upwards of $50,000 plus benefits. Additionally, the resources and raising money in Iowa City and Johnson County is not easy. Reedus stated she will not pull back her recommendation for Healthy Kids School-based Clinics because she thinks it's a needed organization. Next month they will have a report from the subcommittee that’s been working on Aid to Agencies funding and they need to take a look at the cliff and need to work further and decide if they're going to keep the closed group of Legacy Agencies or if they’re going to change the whole thing. Cutting an organization off after two years with no other resources is going to be problematic. These organizations are asking for money for issues that aren't going to go away in the community, and they aren’t likely to be able to develop the resources to raise the money that they're going to need. Dennis noted staff shared the rankings of who got the highest rankings and HCDC has to provide a recommendation based on the information they have. She noted if the minimum allocation is $5,000 then they could just allocate $5,000 to the top seven or so. Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 4 of 8 4 Szecsei asked if there are updates to see where agencies are that did receive funding for two years and then were cut off - do they actually find funding elsewhere to stay alive? Kubly stated they do collect semiannual reports from these agencies funded. Staff could do a better job providing those to the Commission. Szecsei stated she like to see a report two years after they receive funding to see if they actually do succeed or fall off the cliff. Vogel stated the $5,000 minimum needs to change, if they give the top seven $5,000 then that leaves $2,000 for someone else and that’s below the minimum. Dennis noted the number one ranking was Iowa City Compassion so they could give them $6,000, and the next highest (TRAIL) $5,500, and Escucha Mi Voz and Sober Living $5,000 each. Reedus asked about the Visiting Nurses Association, when the Commission was discussing Legacy Agencies it was stated they didn't want to get into third party revenue organizations. She stated Visiting Nurses Association is not one of those organizations, they get a lot of revenue and feels HCDC allocations can't make a dent into making up for lost funds for the Visiting Nurses Association because they're not getting reimbursed enough. They're a pretty large organization and she thinks they need to put more money into programs that are helping the immigrant population. Reedus also thinks Healthy Kids should receive $5,000. Vogel noted additionally with Iowa Legal Aid, they get quite a bit of other assistance through the City and most of their assistance is from State funding. They do great work but they're not really an Emerging Agency - they're a well-established agency. Dennis stated the National Visiting Nurses Association has also been around for about a hundred years. Reedus noted in the staff recommendation there was a comment about the Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County being too new and asked when they incorporated. Kubly replied she is not sure, but it was sometime last summer. Reedus asked same with Iowa City Sober Living, when did they incorporate. Again, Kubly is not sure, but they did apply for Emerging Agency funds last year.. The Commission continued to discuss the organizations and possible allocations. Vogel asked if the $5,000 minimum was a decision made by HCDC or if it was a statutory thing. Kubly replied that it is in the rules that have been adopted by Council but did come from a recommendation from HCDC. Beining would like to see more funds going to immigrant organizations as that is so needed in the community. Additionally, he supports Sober Living and the health benefits they support, it’s a newer organization and just starting. Vogel moved to recommend the following recommendations for Emerging Aid to Agencies: Agency/Project FY25 Request Staff Recommendations HCDC Average Recommendations March EA2A Group Funding Recommendations Iowa City Compassion $15,000 $7,500 $6,583 $6,000 TRAIL $12,000 $6,000 $5,500 $5,500 Escucha Mi Voz $15,000 $7,500 $5,167 $8,000 Iowa City Sober Living $10,000 $5,000 $4,583 $7,500 Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 5 of 8 5 Visiting Nurses Association $15,000 $5,500 $4,167 $0 Iowa City Hospice $15,000 $5,500 $3,750 $5,000 Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County $15,000 $0 $2,500 $0 Healthy Kids School Based Clinics $15,000 $0 $2,167 $5,000 Iowa Legal Aid $12,500 $0 $1,500 $0 Total $124,500 $37,000 $35,917 $37,000 Dennis seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 4-1 (Reedus dissenting). DISCUSS FY25 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) AND HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (HOME) FUNDING REQUESTS AND CONSIDER BUDGET RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL: Reedus noted the staff report with the risk factors being reported was really good, however, it didn't have a place in the scoring so she would recommend that it go into scoring. She stated if there's no risk, an organization should gain points, but if they do have risk factors that the City has identified, there should be a negative impact to the score. That would make the risk factor scoring meaningful. Vogel acknowledged this year seemed easier than previous years as far as the scoring, likely due to some of the change implemented that came from discussions with the subcommittee and making those sections clearer on age groups and percentages. Dennis noted it's really interesting that a lot of the scores were very similar from staff and from the Commissioners who scored. Reedus does think that the final scores should mean something in terms of the funds awarded and stated Iowa City Housing Authority has the highest score, then Shelter House for Commissioners and staff scored the Housing Fellowship higher than Shelter House. The Commissioners discussed the distribution of the HOME funds first awarding Iowa City Housing Authority – Tenant Based Rental Assistance the full request of $300,000. For Shelter House commissioners asked what portion of the project is not eligible for HOME funds. Thul responded and the commission settled on an award of $85,327 leaving $144,673 for The Housing Fellowship. Although United Action for Youth was eligible for HOME funds, they scored the lowest, across the board, so the commission did not give them funding. Moving on to CDBG funding, Vogel noted the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County is asking for $65,000 but staff only recommended $34,000. Thul explained there was a portion of the project that would be ineligible for CDBG. The Commission again discussed United Action for Youth and were generally in agreement to not fund them this round. Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 6 of 8 6 The Commission agreed to fund Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County the $34,000. That left $190,000 to allocate and it was decided to allocate it to The Housing Fellowship. Beining noted it's increasing the actual base of affordable housing. Reedus agreed and stated the community has a need for housing for larger families, that's been identified for a couple of years. The Commission also decided not to fund DVIP as they are in the middle of a big project and it's going to be tough for DVIP to get all that done. Vogel moved to recommend to Council the following recommendations for CDBG/HOME funds: Request Staff Recommendations HCDC Individual Score Summary March HCDC Meeting Recommendations Agency/Project FY25 Request Staff Score Staff CDBG Funding Rec. Staff HOME Funding Rec. HCDC Average Score HCDC CDBG Funding Rec. HCDC HOME Funding Rec. Iowa City Housing Authority - Tenant Based Rental Assistance $300,000 320 94% NA - ineligible $300,000 295 NA - ineligible $300,000 Shelter House - Rental Rehab $93,523 270 79% $0 $0 272* $0 $85,327 The Housing Fellowship - Rental Acquisition $420,000 287 84% $190,000 $230,000 267 $190,000 $144,673 Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County - Public Facility Improvements $65,000 257 76% $34,000 NA - ineligible 261 $34,000 $0 DVIP - Rental New Construction $304,250 258 76% NA - ineligible $0 252 $0 $0 United Action for Youth - Rental Acquisition $200,000 211 62% $0 $0 236 $0 $0 Total $1,382,773 NA $224,000 $530,000 NA $224,000 $530,000 Reedus seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 5-0. STAFF & COMMISSION UPDATES: Thul stated next month’s meeting will be April 18 and will include a presentation from the Aid to Agency subcommittee which will be the final report. Also, every March there is a spending deadline for projects that were funded with CDBG so if there are projects that are behind schedule, staff will bring those updates to the Commission for review. Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 7 of 8 7 Thul stated there are three people on the Commission that have terms ending in June: Reedus, Beining and Krotz. If they want to reapply for the Commission they can do so online. Kubly stated they found out this week that the HOME-ARP allocation plan was finally approved after several amendments, HUD approved it on Monday so they are excited to start those projects with Legal Aid, DVIP and Shelter House. Kubly noted that Thul just received a promotion that was approved by Council this week as a Senior Planner. Kubly also wanted to share they have a couple of vacant positions in their division, there is a vacancy for the housing rehab specialist who administers CDBG and HOME funds for owner occupied rehab, as well as a housing inspector or rental inspector position will be posted soon. Beining plans to attend the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition affordable housing project bus tour and can give an update in April. ADJOURNMENT: Reedus moved to adjourn, Dennis seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 5-0. Housing and Community Development Commission March 21, 2024 Page 8 of 8 8 Housing and Community Development Commission Attendance Record 2023-2024 •Resigned from Commission Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Vacant Name Terms Exp. 1/19 2/16 3/30 4/20 5/18 7/20 9/21 10/19 11/16 3/21 Beining, Kaleb 6/30/24 X O/E X X O/E X X X X X Dennis, Maryann 6/30/25 X X X O/E X X O/E X X X Haylett, Jennifer 6/30/25 X X O/E X O/E O/E     Krotz, Karol 6/30/24 X O/E X X X X X X X O/E Mohammed, Nsar 6/30/23 X X X O/E O/E      Reedus, Becci 6/30/24 X X X X X X X X X X Vogel, Kyle 6/30/26 O/E X X O/E X X X O/E X X Eckhardt, Michael 6/30/25 X X X X O/E O/E     Patel, Kiran 6/30/26 -- O/E X X X X X O/E X O/E Pierce, James 6/30/26 -- -- -- -- -- X X X X O/E Szecsei, Denise 6/30/25 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X Borgen, Horacio 6/30/25 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- O/E AGENDA ITEM #4 Progress Report To: The Iowa City Housing and Community Development Commission From: The Domestic Violence Intervention Program 4/11/24 DVIP FY24 Shelter Construction So much has happened with our new shelter construction project since we reported last year at this time. Construction began in mid-July 2023. It was defined as a one-year construction project and we are currently slated to be completed on schedule, June 27, 2024. We are also doing very well with our capital campaign. We had expected the project to come in at $6,000,000, but as has been common for most projects during and since the pandemic, inflation and escalated costs of construction supplies meant our project would come in at $7,067,798.00. The following chart demonstrates our success to date: FINDING SAFETY, BUILDING HOPE CAMPAIGN BUDGET updated 4/2/24 Funding Source Amount Amount Committed To Be Committed Municipal - Iowa City CDBG $545,000.00 $545,000.00 Municipal - Iowa City HOME-ARP $650,000.00 $650,000.00 Municipal - Johnson Co ARPA $615,000.00 $615,000.00 Municipal - North Liberty $25,000.00 $25,000.00 Municipal - Coralville $25,000.00 $25,000.00 Federal VOCA Health Grant $300,000.00 $300,000.00 Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County $750,000.00 $750,000.00 Foundations & Grants $2,412,191.00 $2,127,817.00 $284,374.00 Private Donations $1,407,463.00 $1,123,089.00 $284,374.00 Income - US Cellular Tower $338,144.00 $338,144.00 Total $7,067,798.00 $6,499,050.00 $568,748.00 AGENDA ITEM #5 The current status of the project is 69% complete. The building was dried in completely two days before the first major snow storm in January, with the following items complete in the first six months: •Retaining Wall •Groundwork, including: Building Pad, Tree Removal, Sanitary Sewer, Domestic Water Service and Under Slab Rough Ins (plumbing, electrical) •Foundation, including: Footings, Foundation •Elevator Shaft Install •Elevation Drainage •Prepped Subbase, rebar and wire mesh •Poured Slabs •Indoor/Garage Drainage •Water Main •Structural Steel •1st and 2nd Floor Framing •Floor and Roof Systems •Duct Chase and Kitchen Wall Framing •Membrane Roof •Trees and Brush removed for ADA path •Parapet Sheathing •Window Installation In the past quarter, significant progress has been made on the interior including: •all interior walls, •Electrical, plumbing and sprinkler •HVAC •ADA Ramp •Foodservice prep •Building wrap and exterior insulation •Siding installation is almost complete •Interior foam insulation •Elevator installation is in progress •Door Frames •Bathroom Showers •Level 2 duct work complete and insulated •Drywall hang and finishing – in progress •Soffit Framing Some interior views: Note: we’ve tried to keep the photos neutral with regards to demonstrating the location of the build. The photos are safe to share as appropriate for reporting. Please contact me if you have questions. We’re excited to be working with United Way Day of Caring and University of Iowa Athletics on April 21st. The Iowa Women’s Basketball Team will be working with two national organizations (Greater Good Charities and RedRover) to create an outdoor run area for pets that are staying with their families at our shelter through our Cooper’s House Program. The pet play yard will have river rock for ground cover, and that’s what we will be moving on United Way Day of Caring! This photo is an example that is very similar to our kennel spaces for cats and dogs. They are spaces families can enjoy with their pet. AGENDA ITEM #5 Date: April 15, 2024 To: Housing & Community Development Commission From: Erika Kubly, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Brianna Thul, Senior Community Development Planner Re: Staff Recommendations for HCDC Overview: The Housing and Community Development Commission (HCDC) is a critical piece of the city’s public input process for affordable housing and community development activities. Commissioners reflect the community and bring experience, knowledge, and ideas that better our processes and help our funding reach the programs and populations that need it most. In addition, federal funding often requires a level of resident participation that HCDC fulfills for grant requirements. In the past few years, the commission’s attendance and participation levels have waned to the point where it is not sustainable to continue as a commission of nine members. Staff recommend amending the size of the commission to help ensure ongoing active participation and the ability to review city affordable housing and community development activities in a timely manner, put resources to work in our community as soon as possible, and to meet federal grant deadlines. Additionally, staff recommend shifting the location of HCDC meetings to Emma Harvat Hall a more convenient and accessible for commissioners and attendees. Role of HCDC: The Housing and Community Development Commission was established by City Council in 1995 (Resolution # 95-199) to “assess Iowa City’s community development needs for housing, jobs, and services for low- and moderate-income residents, and to promote public and private efforts to meet such needs”. Per the By-laws, duties of the commission include the following: 1. Assess and review policies and planning documents related to the provision of housing, jobs, and services, for low- and moderate-income residents of Iowa City; 2. Review policies and programs of the Public Housing Authority and Community Development Division and make recommendations regarding the same to the City Council; 3. Review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding the use of public funds to meet the needs of low and moderate income residents; 4. Actively publicize community development and housing policies and programs, and seek public participation in assessing needs and identifying strategies to meet these needs; 5. Recommend to the City Council from time-to-time amendments, supplements, changes, and modifications to the Iowa City Housing Code. In practice, HCDC’s key role is to review grant applications and annual reports to HUD in accordance with the City’s Citizen Participation Plan. Occasionally the commission is asked to provide input on policy changes for programs administered through the Neighborhood Services division. The following table outlines current duties required of HCDC in a given timeframe: AGENDA ITEM #6 April 15, 2024 Page 2 Timeframe Current HCDC Duties Annual Review CDBG/HOME applications for affordable housing, public facilities, and other activities and allocate ~$800,000 in funds. Recommend allocation of ~$35,000 in local Emerging Aid to Agencies funds. Review and recommend the City’s Annual Action Plan, CAPER, and any substantial amendments to these documents. Monitoring of projects that are underway. Make recommendations to continue/terminate unsuccessful and delayed CDBG and HOME projects. Promote Community Development Week. Every 2 Years Review Legacy Aid to Agencies applications and recommend allocations to over $700,000 to 20 nonprofit agencies. Every 5 Years Review and recommend the City’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan (City Steps) and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (Fair Housing Study). Participate in public input for both planning processes. Occasionally/ As Needed Consider policy changes for programs administered by Neighborhood Services including Community Development, the Iowa City Housing Authority, and Housing Inspection Services as requested by staff or City Council. Participate in city initiatives such as the Affordable Housing Action Plan process. Review of new federal grant programs such as HOME-ARP. Membership, Attendance, and Participation: HCDC currently consists of nine members appointed by City Council who serve three-year terms. The by-laws state that, when possible, membership shall include at least one person with expertise in construction, finance, nonprofit management experience, and property management, and at least one person who receives rental assistance. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30pm in the Senior Center. In the last few years membership and attendance have been a challenge for the commission. While HCDC has nine members, meetings have had an average of six commissioners in attendance since June 2020. The last meeting held with a full commission was March 2021. Meetings require five members to reach quorum and three meetings have been cancelled as a result of low attendance. The scope of this issue was apparent at the March 21, 2024 meeting. The March meeting agenda included the funding allocation recommendations for CDBG, HOME and Emerging Aid to Agencies. This is the most important meeting of the year for HCDC and all applicants are invited to attend to hear the discussion. The March meeting started about 10 minutes late as only four commissioners were present at the scheduled start time of 6:30pm and five are needed to form a quorum. During that period there was uncertain whether the meeting would need to be canceled at the last minute after 20+ agency representatives had already arrived with the expectation of hearing funding recommendations from the commission. Part of the low attendance stems from commissioner turnover. Seven commissioners have resigned early (before the end of their term) since September 2021. Council appointments to fill commission vacancies have been deferred three times due to lack of applicants. Additionally, not all commissioners participate in the scoring and recommendation process during funding rounds, which is a key part of HCDC’s role. During the FY24 Legacy Aid to Agencies round, only five commissioners submitted their scores on time for review by the full commission. In the recent FY25 funding allocation, only six commissioners submitted their scores for April 15, 2024 Page 3 CDBG/HOME and Emerging Aid to Agencies. Staff are aware that the volume of material assigned to HCDC to review for regularly occurring grant cycles and other routine tasks is substantial. Staff Efforts with HCDC Staff continue to search for ways to improve attendance and create a better experience for commissioners. Actions taken in recent years are outlined below. However, staff time is limited and any additional time spent on commission efforts takes away from administering housing and community development projects that benefit the community. Membership and Onboarding o Increased outreach to promote vacancies on the commission. o Regular updates to the HCDC member handbook and training materials. o One-on-one commissioner onboarding. o Detailed grant cycle calendars outlining roles and responsibilities. Scheduling o Annual meeting calendar establishing meeting dates in advance. o Scheduled commission breaks where possible in the annual calendar. o Send out a survey each month to anticipate attendance levels and avoid last minute cancelations. o Reach out to commissioners individually to gauge attendance. Application and Plan Reviews o Provided staff analysis and funding recommendations for each funding cycle. o Revised scoring rubric to tie each scoring criteria to a question in the application. o Created a detailed one-page summary of CDBG/HOME and Legacy A2A submissions with key scoring information that is color coded to the score sheet. o Developed handouts and guides summarizing complex topics, such as federal requirements. o Moved applicant Q&A sessions from in-person to in-writing to reduce the length of meetings. o Held office hours for commissioners to go through application questions individually and ensure they understand the process. Other o Established regular check-ins with the chair and vice chair outside of monthly meetings to discuss commission business and direction. o Provided notes and guidance to the chair each meeting. Proposed Changes In consideration of city needs and promoting the best use of commissioners’ time, staff recommends revising the size of the HCDC and meeting location as follows: 1. Reduce HCDC membership from nine to seven. HCDC has operated with an average of six members in attendance since June 2020, in part due to vacancies occurring outside of regular appointment terms. This has resulted in difficulty reaching quorum each month with fewer members available to meet. Staff have expanded efforts to promote vacancies within the community and applicant pools are often limited and/or do not fit the areas of expertise outlined in the by-laws. A smaller commission is recommended based on the inability to maintain a nine-member commission over multiple years. The proposed adjustment could be achieved by not filling the next seats that become vacant so that no one would lose their position on the commission. Those with terms ending would be encouraged to reapply for HCDC if they are interested in serving a second term. 2. Change the time and location of meetings to allow the commission to use Emma Harvat Hall. April 15, 2024 Page 4 HCDC is one of the few commissions led by departments located at City Hall that does not meet at City Hall. Meetings have shifted from the Senior Center to the Environmental Education Center, back to the Senior Center in recent years. Staff have received comments from commissioners about sound levels, ability to see the projection screen, sitting with their backs to the audience, and availability of parking and transit at each venue. Emma Harvat Hall is the ideal location for this commission due to the room arrangement, AV access, individual screens, room for public participants, and proximity to parking/transit. Currently, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission meets on the third Thursday of the month in Emma Harvat Hall. Staff propose shifting the date and time of the meetings to the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 5:30pm or another available time so that Emma Harvat Hall can be utilized regularly. The revised date and time would be contingent on commissioner availability. Future Considerations Staff recommend the above changes to improve the commission’s ability to complete the necessary work of HCDC in a timely manner and meet more effectively. However, these changes do not address concerns about the increased workload and expectations of the commissioners over time. Staff anticipate that additional recommendations will be brought forward after hearing the Aid to Agency subcommittee recommendations and working through the Consolidated Planning process. Staff will continue working on identifying ways to reduce the strain on commissioners and improve the volunteer experience. Commissioners are encouraged to contact staff with suggestions. Next Steps A change in the size of the commission would require an amendment to HCDC’s by-laws. The April 18, 2024 meeting agenda will include an item for discussion of the proposed changes and the following meeting, anticipated for May 16, 2024, will include a vote on this proposal. If approved by a majority of the commission (at least five members), the amendment would then be reviewed by the City Council Rules Committee before being considered by the City Council as a whole. Potential changes to the meeting time and location will follow the same schedule but do not require an amendment to the commission by-laws or City Council approval. Staff propose that any changes would be implemented beginning July 1, 2024, which is when new commissioners are typically appointed.