OFFICE OF
THE CITY COUNCIL
117 WEST DUVAL STREET, SUITE 425
4TH FLOOR, CITY HALL
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32202
904-630-1377
Special Committee on Neighborhoods, Community Investments
and Services Matters
Meeting Minutes
August 1, 2016
11:15 a.m.
Topic:
NCIS Special Committee meeting
Location:
Conference Room A, City Hall –
In attendance:
Council Members Scott Wilson (Chair), Reggie Brown, Doyle Carter, Garrett
Dennis, Bill Gulliford, Joyce Morgan
Excused: Council
Member Matt Schellenberg
Also:
Kyle Billy – Council Auditor’s Office; Peggy Sidman and Paige Johnston – Office
of General Counsel; Jeff Clements – Council Research Division; Juliette
Williams – Legislative Services Division; Jessica Baker – Mayor’s Office
Meeting Convened:
11:00 a.m.
Chairman Wilson called the meeting to order and introduced
Diana Seydlorsky, Chief of the Housing and Community Development Division, and
Dayatra Coles, Affordable Housing Coordinator, to make presentations on the
City’s State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) and Foreclosure Property
Registry programs. Ms. Seydlorski
reviewed the allowable uses for SHIP funds to produce and preserve affordable
homeownership and multi-family housing for low- and moderate-income
families. She said that Jacksonville
will expend approximately $6.5 million in SHIP funds each fiscal year;
approximately $3 million is allocated this year to owner occupied housing
rehabilitation, $1.36 million to home purchase downpayment assistance and
$500,000 to water and sewer tap-in fee assistance in addition to staff salaries
and program costs.
Dayatra Coles reported that the Foreclosure Registry Funds
are directed to three strategic priority uses: 1) direct services to homeowners
with properties listed on the registry (minimum of 30% of total
appropriations); 2) services to residential properties on the Registry and
neighboring properties impacted by properties on the registry (minimum of 40%
of total appropriations); and 3) assistance to neighborhoods and organizations
in which Foreclosure Registry properties are located (maximum of 20% of total
appropriations). The City will appropriate $3.875 million in Foreclosure
Registry funds this year for services ranging from $1.17 million for
foreclosure intervention and mediation programs, $1.1 million to Municipal Code
Compliance to $250,000 for neighborhood matching grants and community education
and training.
In response to a question from Council Member Dennis about
the process for prioritizing use of utility tap-in resources, Ms. Coles said
that priority is given to areas where new water and sewer lines are being
installed. She explained the definitions of the terms “delivery fee”,
“administrative cost” and “staff cost”. Council Member Gulliford said that some
cities increase their foreclosure registry fee the longer a property is on the
registry as an incentive for the property owner (typically the lender holding
the mortgage) to take action to resolve the foreclosure and sell the property.
He asked Ms. Coles to provide the committee with the methods the department
uses to measure the success of these grants. He also requested that the
committee add the issue of “zombie properties” (properties in the midst of
incomplete foreclosure proceedings that are abandoned by the owners but not yet
fully foreclosed and owned by the mortgage holder) to the NCIS Special
Committee to its list of future study topics.
Council Member Reggie Brown believes that the City needs a program to
help people who are not low-income (typically the “working poor” with steady
jobs but little in the way of savings or other assets) but who sometimes
encounter financial emergencies that threaten their ability to stay in their
current housing (loss of a job, a major illness, etc.). If the City could
provide utility bill assistance or a month or two of rent to allow those
citizens to get past their emergency, they could recover and stay in their
housing rather than being evicted.
In response to a question about allowable uses of SHIP funds
for demolitions, Ms. Coles said that SHIP money must be used for demolitions to
clear lots that are then built upon; buildings can’t be demolished and the lot
left vacant. In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Ms. Seydlorski said that
the division is in the process of developing an application process for the
neighborhood matching grant program and hopes to have that complete by
September 30th. She recommended that neighborhoods interested in
participating in the grant program contact their council member to make that
interest known and invited council members to make referrals to the department.
Ms. Coles reported that the division is opening the process for applications
for grants for owner-occupied housing rehabilitation, dividing the City into 4
quadrants for purposes of service provision. Priority will be given to agency
applicants to lead the efforts in each quadrant, then grants to individual
homeowners on a first come, first served basis.
In response to a question Council Member Morgan was informed
that foreclosure prevention programs are restricted to residences only –
businesses do not qualify for funding assistance. Ms. Morgan noted that, while
there are septic tank issues citywide and her district has the highest number
of problem septic tanks, a majority of the septic tank resources seem to be
directed to other parts of town.
Council Member Dennis recommended that the NCIS Special
Committee add the concept of “batch foreclosure” to its study issues list.
Meeting Adjourned:
11:45 a.m.
Minutes: Jeff Clements, Council Research Division
8.2.16 Posted 10:00 a.m.
Tapes: NCIS special
meeting– LSD
8.1.16
Materials: Housing and Community Development Division
handouts
8.1.16