HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_HOUAB_09.19.2022City of Georgetown, Texas
Housing Advisory Board
Minutes
September 1911, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.
809 Martin Luther King Jr. Street
Board Members Present: Wendy Cash, Chair; Christi Cowden; Chuck Collins; Regina Watson; Eric
Marin
Board Member(s) Absent: Nikki Brennan; Joey Carlton
Staff present in -person: Cesar Acosta, Senior Planner; Jessica Lemanski, Planning Specialist
The Meeting was opened by Chair Wendy Cash at 2:38 p.m.
Public Wishing to Address the Board
On a subject that is posted on this agenda: Please fill out a speaker registration form which can be found at
the Board meeting. Clearly print your name, the letter of the item on which you wish to speak, and present it
to the Staff Liaison, preferably prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called forward to speak when the
Board considers that item.
On a subject not posted on the agenda: Persons may add an item to a future Board agenda by filing a written
request with the Staff Liaison no later than one week prior to the Board meeting. The request must include
the speaker's name and the specific topic to be addressed with sufficient information to inform the board
and the public. For Board Liaison contact information, please logon to
http://government.georgetown.org/category/boards-commissions/.
A At the time of posting, no persons had signed up to speak on items not on the agenda.
Legislative Regular Agenda
B Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes from the June 20, 2022 regular
meeting of the Housing Advisory Board. -Jessica Lemanski, Planning Specialist
Motion to approve Item B as presented by Board Member Marin. Second by Board Member Collins.
Chair Cash opened the floor to Board Members for discussion. No discussion.
Motion approved unanimously (5-0).
C Presentation and discussion on progress to improvements to housing.georgetown.org, as well as
discussion on potential in person event planning to promote housing program awareness.
Cesar Acosta began the presentation by reviewing what the Board had discussed at the previous
meeting. At the July meeting, Board Members reviewed the format and information currently posted to
housing.georgetown.org in order to assess how effectively it is informing the public of programs that can
assist with housing related needs. Acosta pointed out that Members had voiced concern about the help
line at the last meeting, and how the Board can improve that resource. The Board also began discussion
on what standardized information should be prominently displayed for each program advertised on the
site. In February, the City will be rewriting not only the Housing webpage, but the entire City of
Georgetown website, but there are some immediate changes that have been made already, which
Acosta reviewed by displaying the Georgetown Housing Program. Partnerships and Programs have been
broken up to allow for easier identification, and the Housing Plan tab now has a direct link to the
Comprehensive Housing Strategy page of the Georgetown 2030 Plan website. The website also has the
option for users to change the language to either Spanish or English.
Acosta established that today's focus will be on discussing and building a consensus on the content of
programs listed on the Georgetown Housing website, as well as planning for end of year events to
promote housing program awareness for residents and collaborators.
Acosta reviewed the existing programs, including the Home Repair Program, Low Income Housing Tax
Credit, Neighborhood Association Registration, Workforce Housing Program, Habitat for Humanity,
Georgetown Housing Authority, and The Caring Place. Each program's discussion is outlined below.
Home Repair Program Discussion
Board Member Marin suggested that we include a range of funds that applicants could receive and write
out acronyms to provide clarity for those unfamiliar with the program. Board Member Marin also
suggested we define what 80% of the Median Family Income is for the City of Georgetown.
Board Member Collins suggested that the website either explicitly state that the "What Does It Cover"
list is not exhaustive or include a full list of home repairs that are covered under this program.
Chair Cash noted that when comparing each program's page on the website, it is not uniform in terms of
what information is listed first and suggested that the first row of every webpage clarify what the
program is and who it is for.
Board Member Cowden suggested that each program have an administrator listed and perhaps include
a point of contact.
Board Member Watson asked if a list of what is not covered under this program should be listed.
Low Income Housing Tax Credit Discussion
Acosta noted that our webpage does not give a qualifications list for competitive vs non-competitive
Low -Income Housing Tax Credit applications.
Chair Cash asked if this program is intended for both developers and average residents. Acosta
confirmed that the program is available to both, and separate applications for each category of
applicants can be included when the website is revamped.
Board Member Marin commented that he likes the FAQ function but suggested there should be
specification or a tab that outlines the approval process and timelines. Acosta established that those
questions of how it is funded, what the purpose and function of it is, etc. are included on the Housing
Tax Credit website, so we have included a direct link for that.
Neighborhood Association Registration Discussion
Board Member Collins suggested there be a link to a set of sample bylaws to make it clear to that these
are more laid-back associations for those unfamiliar with them, as we are trying to encourage residents
to form these associations. Acosta suggested we provide a testimony on what the program is and what
it does, as well as a point of contact if residents have additional questions.
Chair Cash asked if there are registries of existing neighborhood associations. Acosta stated that yes, we
have been adding to several existing lists, but there is not a comprehensive list of every neighborhood
group in the City. We are asking groups to re -register so that we can make that comprehensive list. Chair
Cash stated that a link to that registry (when it is updated) and a point of contact for each group would
be helpful.
Chair Cash commented that Homeowner's Associations are required to be registered and asked if they
are included in that existing list. Acosta stated that HOAs are not included on that list, as Neighborhood
Associations are more for residents that desire a connection with the City or their neighbors but do not
wish to form a Homeowner's Association. Board Member Marin asked for clarification on who the
program is for. Acosta explained that neighborhood associations connect neighbors to the City by
expanding the public notice radius that is required in our City code. Board Member Collins remarked
that a Neighborhood Association can be created for many reasons and could be used as a different way
of building community than a Homeowner's Association.
Board Member Watson suggested we include the three main HOA's in the City plus the Georgetown
Round Table information and a point of contact on there.
Workforce Housing Program Discussion
Chair Cash asked what the median family income is. Acosta displayed the 2022 Area Median Income
information and established that a family of 4 who makes 588,000 would be eligible for the Workforce
Housing Program. The City of Georgetown uses median family income for the larger metro region.
Board Member Marin commented that it is not very clear what the program is about. Acosta explained
that this program allows a developer to increase impervious cover, height restrictions, and other
restrictions in exchange for an increased number of income restricted units. Chair Cash commented that
we could expand on who the program is for. Although developers are mainly who is applying for this
program, it does affect residents in terms of housing availability and the City in terms of an increased
number of income restricted units.
Board Member Collins suggested that statistics or infographics showing what the City is doing for
workforce housing would be helpful.
Partnerships:
Habitat for Humanity Discussion
Chair Cash suggested we include clarification on the difference between Habitat for Humanity and the
Home Repair Program, as well as a link to the separate application for building a new home with Habitat
for Humanity.
Georgetown Housing Authority Discussion
No discussion
The Caring Place Discussion
Acosta commented that they should add more information rental and food assistance, which is covered
through their crisis center.
Acosta established that the next steps will be taking the information gathered and present it to the
City's Website Design Specialist to include it in the Housing Authority Webpage, We are also asking for
more graphic heavy one -pagers to provide easy to digest summaries of our programs and partnerships.
Acosta began the discussion on potential in -person informational events by establishing the intent is to
provide face-to-face opportunities to present information on housing programs and their availability to
the community.
Acosta noted that it may be helpful to begin by piggybacking on already existing meetings such as the
quarterly Neighborhood Association Round Table meeting. Their November meeting is fully booked, but
there are still openings for their February meeting. The Board could work on collaborating with
stakeholders on our message and set aside time to educate people on the programs. If the Board agrees
there should be a separate event, we can organize that as well.
Board Member Marin noted that there is an abundance of programs, and it may be helpful to provide a
cheat -sheet at the beginning of the event for attendees of the meeting to identify what programs could
be helpful for their intent. Acosta agreed that an in -person event could provide more graphic and easily
digestible information.
Acosta asked the Board how they would like to take advantage of their time at in -person events.
Board Member Watson suggested having tables for each program, and perhaps hosting an event at the
Library. Having a catchphrase of the purpose of the event could make it more obvious to the public what
the purpose of the event is.
Board Member Collins asked who we should be targeting the information towards and who attends the
Neighborhood Association quarterly meetings. Acosta established that non -profits, neighborhood
associations, and HOAs are frequent attendees of the Neighborhood Association quarterly meetings.
Chair Cash noted that joining those meetings and providing a short presentation or handout would
make the most sense. Acosta established that we are unable to get on their agenda for the November
meeting, but we can get on the February meeting agenda, which would be just in time for the website
remodel. Board Member Watson noted that the meeting in February is more geared towards
transportation and will have a TxDOT speaker present, so it may not be the HAB's intended audience in
attendance.
Chair Cash asked if neighborhood associations have annual meetings. Acosta explained that they are
required to have at least one annual meeting but can schedule their own as often as they would like.
The meetings are open, and the Board could coordinate with various stakeholders to invite them to one
of their meetings to gather ideas for a presentation and ask them to spread the word for a potential
event. Board Member Collins suggested that the Board have an introductory presentation at the
February meeting and note that any interested parties should contact Cesar and the information
provided can be tailored towards them.
Acosta established that the Board's ultimate goal is to see if participants are increasing due to higher
access and information available. Board Member Cowden asked if all these programs are looking for
more applicants. Acosta explained that this is a way to quantify if the Board is achieving their April
action item of improving access and education to our Housing Programs.
Discussion on how the Board wishes to use their time in the interim before a February in person
meeting. Acosta suggested inviting stakeholders to our regular HAB meetings to gather information on
what they're lacking or use the time to plan out what the Board is going to present and reach out to
invite groups on their own. Chair Cash suggested coming to meetings with questions such as: what
information would they like to see at the February meeting? How can the Board assist in meeting their
needs?
Acosta asked the Board if they feel that they need to continue to meet monthly or if they would rather
space their meetings apart to have time to prep for the event.
Chair Cash noted that a meeting in November and January could be sufficient as long as there is no
pressing issue in October that would warrant a meeting. November and January meetings to plan for
February event?
Acosta noted that the regularly scheduled meeting for HAB in November would fall on the week of
Thanksgiving, which could create some scheduling issues.
Chair Cash called a special meeting of the Housing Advisory Board to be held on November 14`h, 2022 at
2:30 pm.
Acosta noted that if the Board wishes to not meet every month, there would possibly need to be a
change in the bylaws, which can be an item added to their agenda for the next meeting.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn by Board Member Miran. Second by Board Member Watson.
Motion approved unanimously (6-0). The meeting adjourned at 3:34 pm.
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