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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Trust Fund Minutes - July 15, 2010_201402060923407204Minutes Affordable Housing Trust Fund – AHTF ___________________________________ Special Meeting Thursday July 15, 2010 3:00 P.M. Conference Room 2 Fairgrounds Road I. Members Present: Matt MacEachern, Fernando Esteban, Charlie Hughes, Patty Roggeveen (departed @3:40), Michael Kopko (departed @ 4:00), Rick Atherton arrived @ 4:15, and Whitey Willauer. II. Staff: Susan Bennett Witte III. Public Present: Ms.Corrin Brown and Mr. Dennis Brown IV. Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 3:08 PM by Matt MacEachern. V. Establish Quorum: A quorum was declared by Mr. MacEachern. VI. Approval of Agenda: Mr. Esteban made a motion to approve the agenda, duly seconded and voted 6-0 in favor. VII. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of prior meeting 6/14/10 and 6/24/10 not yet available to review. Approval postponed to next meeting. VIII. New Business: Guest Speaker- Kathleen M. O’Donnell, Esquire was introduced and commenced a power point presentation explaining the history of the concept of Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Funds MAHTF’s and how and why Grant Agreements were developed to facilitate delivery of funds from local CPC’s (Community Preservation Committees) directly to MAHTFs. Ms. O’Donnell explained it is not uncommon for local CPC’s to initially balk at turning over AHTF approved requests in a lump sum despite the legitimacy of a request to do so. She suggests accepting the fact that although to request and receive a lump sum is within both the letter and the spirit of both CPC and AHTF enabling legislation, it is most often necessary for MAHTFs to build a basis of trust and submit to the CPC a specific request with a specific budget for the first few projects until a comfort level is achieved. Examples of programs other AHTF’s are utilizing CPC funds for include staffing of a housing specialist who also serves as monitoring agent for the community, acquisition of real property, gap financing programs, surveyor expenses, legal expenses, hiring consultants, recording fees, buy down programs, etc. IX. Public Comment: Ms. C. Brown was introduce and asked to speak to the Trustees to request the development of a rental program. Ms. Brown explained she has been on island for several years and despite being on the “waiting list” for the Housing Authority for that time period has been told there have been no vacancies. She has one child and needs a 2BR apartment or home, yet she only earns $14,000. per year at the Stop and Shop and for that past few years has been in an overcrowded rental situation there is nothing on the open market that is affordable to her and would like to be notified if the Trust plans to develop any small scale small size rental units. Mr. D Brown explained that he works full time at the deli department of the S&S and because he chooses to rent a year round small home on the open market instead of being assigned to share a house by his employer he spends 80% of his income per month just paying the rent. He would be interested in purchasing an affordable unit if there were something he could qualify for on his salary. X. Old Business: Grant Agreement proposal from AHTF to CPC to make available program funding in a lump sum and a full description of what those programs would consist of had to be postponed due to a lack of a quorum at this point in the meeting. XI. Other Business: None at this time. XII. Adjournment: The meeting was declared adjourned at 4:20 pm _____________________________________________________________________________ _______________ The Mission of the Trust is to provide for the creation and presentation of affordable housing in the Town of Nantucket for the benefit of year-round low and moderate income households who would otherwise have difficulty, financial or otherwise, locating housing on Nantucket. These are posted as Open Meetings held at 3 o’clock pm in the 2 Fairgrounds Road Conference Room on the following dates: February 8, 2010; March 25, 2010; June 14, 2010; September 13, 2010; November 8, 2010; December 13, 2010