Minutes 11-21-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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housing, but this is not the best way to go forward. She suggested that the managers get together to create a model for all of the boards to work together. Chair Jacobs said he agrees with this, because there is a large amount of overlap in these affordable housing reports. He discussed the idea of mobile homes as affordable housing units in the municipalities, and he said this requires the County to work with the municipalities. Chair Jacobs said he is not advocating anything in particular, but the County is going to be discussing bond issues in 2015. He questioned whether there should not be a coordinated plan for the entire County, heading into a bond plan. Council Member Greene agreed that it sounds like a promising plan to create a nucleus, and avoid duplication of efforts. Alderman Gist said if a program was started to buy foreclosed houses, she would suggest that these properties be bought and then sold back to the owner. Mayor Kleinschmidt said foreclosures occur for different reasons. He said one of the challenges is that homeowners in this degree of distress are often preyed on by others. He said this often removes the unit from affordability status, and it becomes an investment property. He said the goal is not to be involved in the hunt, but there is a role for government to play in helping to preserve the stock of affordable inventory. Mayor Kleinschmidt said the institutions are another group to remember. He said the mention of the Jackson Center invokes the important role the University is playing in the process to help mitigate the challenges and provide solutions in neighborhoods around UNC. He said there is recognition that there is a role to play in creating a solution. Council Member Greene said creating a group similar to the Partnership to End Homelessness could help formalize that sort of collaborative thinking. She heard about a mobile home property bought by Habitat for Humanity. She said Habitat rebuilt the community and then moved the original residents back in to the neighborhood. Chair Jacobs said he is hearing the suggestion that the managers to get together to recommend a way to move forward jointly. Mayor Chilton said, last week, the Board of Aldermen meeting recognized town staff that responded to the flooding this past summer. He expressed thanks to all of those who responded to the various emergency issues. He said he wished to particularly recognize the Orange County Housing Department, who mobilized all of their resources to deal with dislocated families. He expressed appreciation for the leadership of Tara Fikes and staff. Tara Fikes said this was a joint effort with the Department of Social Services (DSS). Chair Jacobs said page 32 contains a draft agreement with the Community Home Trust (CHT). He introduced Robert Dowling from CHT. Robert Dowling said he is here to ask the Assembly of Governments to approve an interlocal agreement between all four governments and CHT. He asked that a working group be named, with a representative from each government, to work with the board and staff of CHT. He said this board could take the draft and push it further. He said CHT works for all of the governments. He said CHT is a creature of local government, and came from a County task force in the 80s. He said the goal was to figure out how to keep affordable housing affordable. He gave a brief background of the trust. He said the organization moved forward very quickly, and though it is small, it has a lot on its plate. Robert Dowling said he is overly prone to pointing out challenges and less prone to point out successes. He said he would like to go on record as saying this is a huge success, and it could not have happened without support. Chair Jacobs suggested having the managers discuss this proposal, confer with the attorneys, and bring back a list of recommendations.