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11 <br />Community College Task Force <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to <br />appoint Mary Kruger, Mary Ann Rosenman, Barbara Baker, Rollie Tillman, and Jim Ritchey (non-resident <br />consultant) to the Community College Task Force. Also, Chair Carey and Commissioner Halkiotis will <br />serve on this task force. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />Innovation and Efficiency Committee <br />The Board decided to solicit more applications for the Innovation and Efficiency Committee <br />through advertising. Commissioners Halkiotis and Jacobs will serve on this committee as well as <br />Frances Douglass and Jim Goldstein. <br />b. Correspondence to Chapel Hill Town Council Regarding Greene Tract <br />The Board considered the contents of proposed correspondence with the Chapel Hill Town <br />Council concerning rezoning a portion of the Greene tract. <br />John Link said that this letter would formally communicate to the Chapel Hill Town Council <br />the County Commissioners' proposals and concerns regarding the rezoning process. <br />John Link suggested adding a sentence to indicate that the County Commissioners have a <br />joint planning public hearing scheduled for February 21, 2000 where the entire 169 acres will be <br />considered. <br />Commissioner Jacobs shared some editing changes in the letter. He said that there should <br />be a declarative statement at the beginning stating that the Board of County Commissioners prefers not <br />to use the Greene Tract. John Link will incorporate this into the letter. <br />The letter will be revised and distributed to the County Commissioners before it is forwarded <br />to Chapel Hill. <br />c. Long-term Housing Affordability <br />The Board received a report on long-term housing affordability strategies. <br />Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes summarized this item. She said <br />that a formal system needed to be established for determining what happens to projects over the long <br />term. She said that the report in the agenda abstract goes back to 1992. Since 1992, 47 families have <br />been assisted under the HOME Investment Partnership Program. Of those 47 families, four families have <br />sold their homes and have had to repay the homebuyer subsidy that was provided. The subsidy had to <br />be repaid because a family who was not considered low-income purchased the house. <br />Commissioner Brown asked for specific information on the houses that were sold to non-low <br />income families. Tara Fikes will provide this information. <br />Tara Fikes said that any subsidy that was paid back to the County would be used to help <br />another first time homebuyer. However, it does not ensure that the particular unit that was originally <br />purchased remains affordable. <br />In the Community Development Block Grant Program, 17 families have been assisted. One <br />of the families has sold the home and repaid the subsidy. Another two families sold their properties, but <br />they sold them to other low-income families and the subsidy was transferred. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked about the homes that were sold at market rates. <br />Tara Fikes said that there were no controls to prevent the homes from being sold at market <br />rate. <br />In the Impact Fee Reimbursement Program, the County requires that, for owner-occupied <br />housing, the property will remain affordable for a minimum of 20 years. However, there is no <br />documentation to make sure the property remains affordable for 20 years. Tara Fikes said that most of <br />the people who have received the impact fee reimbursement have also received some type of federal <br />money from the HOME Program or the CDBG Program and those controls were in place. For rentals, a <br />rental housing certification is required by the organization requesting impact fee reimbursement. <br />Tara Fikes pointed out the evaluation criteria which was approved by the Board of County <br />Commissioners in December 1998. Out of a 100-paint system, ten points were set aside for affordability <br />issues. <br />Commissioner Brown pointed out that Project Feasibility and Community <br />Sponsorship/Support get equal or more points than long-term affordability. She feels that this is not <br />consistent with the Commissioners' goals of long-term affordability. <br />Tara Fikes said that this might be a result of the point system being set up a year ago. She <br />said that there needs to be some discussion between the County and the non-profit organizations about <br />how best to guarantee long-term affordability.