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Minutes_Housing Commission 4 26 11DATE: 26 April 2011 TIME: 4:00 PM PLACE: Housing and Community Development Department 350 West 6 Street, Suite 312, Dubuque, IA 52001 Chairperson Kapler, following staff assurance of compliance with Iowa Open Meeting Law, called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. Commissioners Present: Commissioners Absent: Lisa McCallister Staff Present: David Harris Janet Walker Aggie Tauke Ericka Lessears Cpl. Scott Koch Public Present: Jerry Maro, Carroll Copeland, Anthony Allen, Amanda Hohmann, Nancy Lewis; Mayor Ann Campbell and Vanessa Baker - Latimer via phone from Ames, IA. Welcome New Commissioners Amy Eudaley, Regine Ronek, and Patricia Rogaskie were sworn by Commission Chair David Kapler. Review and Certification of Minutes of 29 March 2011 Commission Meeting Commissioner Root moved to approve the minutes. Commissioner Holz seconded. Commissioners Eudaley, Rogaskie, and Ronek abstained. All others present in favor. Motion passed. Correspondence/Public Input None MINUTES OF HOUSING COMMISSION MEETING Dorothy Schwendinger, OSF Dorothy Culbertson Ricardo Woods Jim Holz (via phone) Amy Eudaley Judie Root David Kapler Regine Ronek Patricia Rogaskie Old Business Fair Housing Survey/Forum Anthony Allen, from the Human Rights Commission was present to talk about the Fair Housing Survey. Anthony Allen wants to bring the two commissions together for a meeting sometime in June. Goals for this joint meeting include improving fair housing practices and establishing a tenant association. The Human Rights Commission and Transit Advisory Board have planned an event at Comiskey Park in August and would like the Housing Commission to participate also. Conversation with City of Ames The City of Ames, Iowa rental assistance program has been turned over to a Regional Housing Authority due to a shortage of administrative funding. Mayor Ann Campbell and Vanessa Baker - Latimer, Housing Coordinator for Ames joined via telephone to talk about their decision and the process they went through to come to that decision. FSS Recruiting Update As of April 1, 2011 the total was 55 participants and as of today, April 26, the total number on FSS 67. The goal is to have 75 by June 8, 2011 for the FSS Coordinator Grant application. Commissioners asked if there is anything they can do to help increase enrollment. New Business HUD Civil Rights Compliance Review The City has received notice from the HUD Omaha Regional Office of a compliance review. This will review the City's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and CDBG programs. David asked HUD if they were going to interview the commissioners and if so he would like the City Attorney to prepare commissioners. The Compliance Review is scheduled for June 20 -23. Report on Homelessness Prevention (HPRP) Program: Project Concern Amanda Hohmann and Nancy Lewis from Project Concern proposed changes to the HPRP Program Policy and Procedures. Nancy explained that they are using state funds, which are meant for people outside the city limits, for people who live in the City because people don't qualify for the City funds based on our policies. They are finding with these restrictions that they are not having people apply for the program and feel that it could be contributing to homelessness. HPRP is a stimulus funded program that was awarded to the City of Dubuque and is sub contracted to Project Concern for a 36 -month term. Nancy feels the need is there in the community but the restrictions are keeping people away and the criminal background check requirement is holding people back. Sister Dorothy would like to see the minutes of previous Commission meetings and how the Commission voted on these policies before. Jim Holtz wants to see the changes that Project Concern is proposing compared to our current admin policies. Commissioner Schwendinger motioned to discuss at next months meeting. Commissioner Root seconded. All present in favor. Motion passed. Information Sharing Complaints Received Commissioners received a summary of the complaints the Housing Department has received since the last meeting. City Manager response to Dubuque Area Landlord's Association letter Jerry Maro, President of the Dubuque Area Landlord's Association and Carroll Copeland from Executive Management were present. Jerry said that they had discussion about the letter at a meeting and the letter was written by a committee. Carroll thinks that the Commission is misinterpreting the letter. She said that they are defending Section 8 and the landlords are getting blamed for everything. She said that with a change in a city population and demographics comes crime and that we are going to grow like any other city. She feels that the City went to war with Section 8 and the landlords. She resented the fact that Section 8 and landlords were being blamed for changes in the community and she feels like it had racial overtones. They think that the Commissioners misinterpreted the letter. Carroll wanted to make sure that it was not meant to be against the Commission nor staff. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting adjourned at 5:53pm. Minutes taker. ,by: Ericka Lessears Recording Secretary vid Harris Department Director r \ Respectfully submitted by: