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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHousing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes 02-15-2007MINUTES PLYMOUTH HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY February 15, 2007 PRESENT: Commissioners Steve Ludovissie, Jim Kovach, Jenny Flansburg, Jeff Kulaszewicz, and Bob Stein ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Community Development Director Steve Juetten, Housing Program Manager Jim Barnes, HRA Specialist Patty Schaffer, Housing Specialist Paula Dorn, Office Support Representative Barb Peterson OTHERS PRESENT: Representatives from CDBG grant agencies. 1. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Ludovissie called the Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting to order February 15, 2007 at 7:04 P.M. 2. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve January 25, 2007 HRA Meeting Minutes B. Plymouth Towne Square. — Accept monthly housing reports. C. Vicksburg Crossing. Accept monthly housing reports. D. Approve the Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) Certification Submission MOTION by Commissioner Flansburg, seconded by Commissioner Kulaszewicz, approving the consent agenda. Vote. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. 3. PUBLIC HEARING A. Community Development Block Grant. Consider 2007 Action Plan. Housing Program Manager Barnes introduced HRA Specialist Patty Schaffer. Ms. Schaffer presented an overview of the CDBG program for 2007, which will begin on July 1, 2007. She stated that the allocation from HUD for 2007 will be approximately 272,208.00. Housing Program Manager Barnes commented on the dollar amounts. He said that at the time the staff report was prepared the House of Representatives had passed a resolution funding the CDBG Block Grant for the same amount as 2006. On February Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority February 15, 2007 Page 2 14, 2007 the Senate passed the same budget so it is now in front of the President for signature. We expect the amount to remain the same. Commissioner Ludovissie said he is concerned with how the spending process for the 2006 funds is going. His one concern is to make sure those groups that truly have a need and utilize and spend the money per the requirements as quickly as possible is our main objective. He asked for more information regarding this process. HRA Specialist Schaffer stated that the Housing Rehab Program has three homes in progress but have not expended any funds at this time. She is projecting that they will be submitting invoices within the next thirty days. Commissioner Ludovissie asked if there are committed dollar amounts available for those projects. Ms. Schaffer replied one application is for $20,000, and the other two approximately $30,000 each. The Small Repair Grant is for $4,200. She feels interest in the programs will pick up in the spring for both Rehab and First Time Homebuyer Programs. HRA Specialist Schaffer said that Community Action has submitted their invoice which leaves them with a zero balance, as is the case with Homeline. Housing Program Manager Barnes reminded the Board that these amounts are based on six months into the program year. He said the winter months traditionally have shown higher balances in accounts and with the social service agencies it depends on when their accounting departments send out invoices. Commissioner Stein asked if fund balances are rolled over into the next year. Housing Program Manager Barnes said they are and around May 1St there cannot be more than a total of 1.5 times the grant amount in our federal account. The balance gets rolled over and stays in the same program at year end. Commissioner Kulaszewicz commented that the report was very comprehensive and that HRA Specialist Schaffer prepared it very well. Commissioner Ludovissie opened the Public Hearing. Pat Rowan represented PRISM, Elder Express and thanked the HRA for their continuing support. He explained the difference between Plymouth Dial -A -Ride and their transportation program. He said they are working on a project to expand their service as far north as Rogers and as far south as Edina. He said they take many residents to doctor appointments and also to the food shelf as well as Churches in the area. Commissioner Stein asked if they provide regular daily service. Mr. Rowan said over 50% are standing appointments to Courage Center and other facilities. Commissioner Ludovissie asked for clarification on what type of person uses their program. Mr. Rowan said the majority are female heads of household. He said about 75% of their riders have an annual income of 0-$10,000 per year. Commissioner Flansburg asked him to share how far the dollars we provide go in terms of ridership. Discussion took place regarding the cost per ride. He said the suggested donation is $5.00 per ride but they don't require payment. Commissioner Stein asked how many riders donate. Mr. Rowan said that those who Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority February 15, 2007 Page 3 contribute do make a $5.00 donation. He also stated that many who use the service go to the food shelf and probably don't have the funds to donate for a ride. Scott Zemke represented Community Action Partnership and thanked the HRA for their support. He said they provide education for first time homebuyers and for the foreclosure prevention program. Commissioner Flansburg asked if there was a higher demand at a certain time of year. Mr. Zemke replied that after Christmas there are many foreclosure calls and spring has a greater need for first time homebuyer assistance. Commissioner Kulaszewicz asked how people find out about their service. Mr. Zemke said they work through emergency service agencies and find out about the Homestretch classes through the lenders. Larry Nelson represented YMCA, Point Northwest. He stated he has come before the Board a number of times and thanked them for their continued support. He said Point Northwest provides 24 hour crisis intervention for runaway youth. They partner with PRISM to provide a food shelf for youth 17 and under to help kids get food as well as help them find housing options. They also provide host homes for short periods of time for youth with the idea they will go back home or to a more stable environment. One of those homes is located in Plymouth. Mr. Nelson said they are also planning to communicate with the Plymouth police regarding homeless youth. Commissioner Ludovissie asked if they are struggling to use the funds allocated for 2006. Mr. Nelson stated that he did not believe they were struggling. He told the Board that it is not always easy to know when a youth is going to need their assistance and he felt they would meet their goals for the 2006 funding year. Commissioner Flansburg asked if they ever need to turn anybody away. Mr. Nelson said that every youth has a meeting with a staff person and is referred to an appropriate source of help. Commissioner Stein asked how the youth find out about the program. Mr. Nelson said that youth counselors tend to make referrals. He commented that youth who live in the suburbs seem to have a harder time seeking help. Commissioner Stein asked what other cities contribute. Mr. Nelson said that Plymouth is the only city that contributes CDBG funds directly to their program. Commissioner Stein asked if they work with the school districts. Mr. Nelson said they do. Commissioner Kulaszewicz inquired as to why we are giving them money again this year if they didn't meet the goals for 2006. Commissioner Flansburg asked if we are only doing the two-tier system for YMCA. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied affirmatively. Commissioner Ludovissie asked what would happen to their program if the $8,000 they are being given is cut. Mr. Nelson said they would need to look for other ways to make up the funding. Commissioner Kulaszewicz asked if they served nine youth from Plymouth in the first half could they do nine more in the second half. Mr. Nelson said he believed they would meet their goal. He also stated that they are beginning to work with the Plymouth Police department, which would assist them in identifying how many at -risk youth may be in the community. Ruth Hogenson-Rutford, Brian Houts and Becky Walker, Executive Director, represented Family Hope Services. Mr. Houts gave a brief overview of the Treehouse program. He said the sixth treehouse will be built in Plymouth. He said they have had 30,000 contacts with kids over the past year and many are struggling for various reasons. He gave some Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority February 15, 2007 Page 4 examples of the problems kids face and how they have turned out after being in the program. Treehouse provides safe places for kids to talk over their problems and have support programs. They also work with families and do trips and activities to put youth in positions where they can learn and contribute to society. He thanked the City on behalf of Treehouse and said they appreciate the support. Commissioner Stein asked if the house was now under construction. Ms. Walker said they have the plans and are hoping to break ground by fall. Commissioner Kulaszewicz asked where the funding will come from for the Plymouth facility. Ms. Walaker said a group of individuals will be the core and begin a campaign. Commissioner Flansburg asked if any partnering goes on with the YMCA. Mr. Houts said they do work with the YMCA and have referred some of the kids they work with to the YMCA. Brenda Kiepert-Holtbaus represented Homeline. She said their organization staffs a tenant hotline to help renters and landlords with legal problems. She thanked Plymouth HRA for their help. Commissioner Kulaszewicz asked how people find out about their program. Ms. Kiepert-Holtbaus stated that people are reffered to HomeLine from various sources including the Plymouth HRA. Commissioner Ludovissie asked if they expect the trend to continue. She said they do. The cities of Minnetonka, Bloomington, and Eden Prairie also contribute to their funding and last year they received 200 calls from Plymouth. Commissioner Ludovissie closed the Public Hearing. Commissioner Flansburg asked to discuss the two-tier system and if she is correct in thinking that in December of 2007 if the YMCA has not served 16 youth they would not receive their funding. Housing Program Manager Barnes said staff will look at the numbers and evaluate their goals at mid -year. Commissioner Stein asked who sets the goals. Housing Program Manager Barnes said the agency sets their own goals. Commissioner Ludovissie feels that it will be a good idea to look at the goals and see if they are met at the halfway point. Commissioner Ludovissie asked about the number of applicants and wondered why there aren't more. Housing Program Manager Barnes explained that we don't do a lot of advertising because of the limited funding. Commissioner Flansburg stated that she does not agree with applying the two-tier system only to the YMCA. She feels it should be applied to every group. Commissioner Stein said the YMCA is being targeted because they haven't met their goal for the last two years. Commissioner Ludovissie commented that it would place a handicap on their organization in that they could lose funding halfway through the year. Housing Program Manager Barnes said if they did this for every recipient it would not cause much more staff time, however, it could trigger another public hearing if substantial changes were made to the funding amounts. If the YMCA is the only organization affected it would not be a large enough change to facilitate a public hearing. Commissioner Stein asked if the other agencies have failed to meet their goals in the past. Housing Program Manager Barnes said the Greater Minneapolis Daycare had a carryover so they received only $1,000 one year. Commissioner Stein asked Mr. Nelson how the goal of 35 kids was set. He said they Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority February 15, 2007 Page 5 look at numbers for all cities and set the goal for Plymouth. Commissioner Stein said even though they are a social service agency they are still a business and should meet their goals. Commissioner Kovach asked if their allocation should be tabled. Commissioner Ludovissie explained how the resolution is written. Commissioner Kovach asked how the funds are released. Housing Program Manager Barnes said they don't get invoiced right away. Commissioner Kulaszewicz made a motion to remove the stipulation to the YMCA for the two-tier contract, cut their funding by $2,000 and give the $2,000 to Family Hope Service. The motion died for lack of a second. MOTION by Commissioner Flansburg, seconded by Commissioner Stein, to adopt Resolution 2007-02 and Resolution 2007-03 recommending to the City Council adoption of 2007 the CDBG funding. Commissioner Flansburg asked staff if it would be possible to see updated numbers for CDBG at the January meeting. She would like more lead time. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that could be provided. Vote. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. HRA Strategic Plan. Discuss update process. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that this staff report is an overview of the HRA Strategic Plan. He said redevelopment could happen on many levels and the City Council is just beginning the process to provide staff with information on the sites within the city that they may wish to look at for redevelopment. He said as they get more information from Planning Commission and City Council he will bring the information forward to the HRA. Commissioner Ludovissie asked if there will be a way to identify priorities about a given site. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that once the city identifies the sites that are important, the HRA could adopt those and look at ways in which they could contribute. Commissioner Stein said he thinks the present council will have more interest in redevelopment than past council's have had. He pointed out that the HRA has not worked on redevelopment of older commercial buildings and would like the HRA to be more proactive. Commissioner Ludovissie said we have looked at some buildings but they would be too large a project for the HRA to undertake. Commissioner Ludovissie suggested starting with some smaller projects. Commissioner Flansburg suggested we embrace Commissioner Stein's challenge to collaborate with the City Council on redevelopment. Community Development Director Juetten explained how the process will work in identifying the areas that need redevelopment. He said that by the end of 2007 we should know what direction redevelopment will take. Commissioner Stein commented that the Lowe's site where the new senior building was built is a good example of redevelopment. Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority February 15, 2007 Page 6 B. Election of Chair, Vice -Chair and Secretary for 2007. Commissioner Ludovissie stated there are three positions to fill and asked if anyone would like to volunteer to serve. Housing Program Manager Barnes clarified the position duties. Motion by Commissioner Kovach, seconded by Commissioner Flansburg, nominating Commissioner Ludovissie for Chair. Vote. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. Motion by Commissioner Stein, seconded by Commissioner Kovach, nominating Commissioner Flansburg for Vice Chair. Vote. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. Motion by Commissioner Stein, seconded by Commissioner Kulaszewicz, nominating Commissioner Kovach for Secretary. Vote. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. 5. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:10: PM. HRA/Minutes 2-15-07