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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0026.000 1998-2000 oJaty,os R'b . q' 4•~LL~ 1. i~ Stephen K. Yamashiro Mayor ar °•;p~ ~Tf Oi~Mr ~[ILtTt~'~? 0~ ~tTf1TtSYt OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 50 Wailuku Drive • Hilo, Hawaii 96720.2484 V/TT (BOS) 961-8379 • FAX (BOB) 961-8685 December 7, 1998 The Honorable James Arakaki The Honorable Aaron S. Y. Chung The Honorable Leningrad Elarionoff The Honorable Julie Jacobson The Honorable Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd The Honorable Nancy Pisicchio The Honorable Al Smith The Honorable J. Curtis Tyler, III The Honorable Dominic Yagong Members, Hawaii County Council SUBJECT: Hawaii County Housing Agency Selection of the Chairperson The staff of the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the members of the Hawaii County Council on their election to office. Pursuant to Hawaii County Code, Article 13, Section 2-66, Council members also serve as members of the Hawaii County Housing Agency. As Council terms are for two (2) years, the OHCD suggests that the Council members consider a date to meet and select a new Housing Agency Chairperson as soon as possible. The OHCD has enclosed the following items for your information and use: _.,~rn. No•_._. Copies Dated Description i~5:e No. 1 Draft Agenda ~f. Ta 1 10/21/98 Minutes of last meeting $aa. Dghe„ ~ _ 1 0 199i,_„~ 1 Outline for election of HCHA officers EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY 'AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER- Hawaii County Council Page 2 December 7, 1998 The OHCD will forward its transition report by December 14, 198. The contents of these items may be useful to you in the election of officers of the Housing Agency. Following the meeting, the OHCD staff requests the opportunity to conduct a workshop to give Agency members a brief overview of the operations of the OHCD and on the status of current programs and projects. Please be reminded to return your complete "Disclosure Statement" to the OHCD by December 22, 1998. Please do not hesitate to call us at ext. 8379 if you have any questions or require additional information. Edw3n~~S~ r~_ Assistant Housing Administrator Enclosure Approved: ephen Yamashiro Mayor Date: 2-`~ $ 0819h.Clw 12/0'1/98 MEETING OF THE HAWAII COUNTY HOUSING AGENCY COUNTY OF HAWAII HILO, HAWAII John Santangelo, Chairman Al Smith, Vice-Chairman DATE: October 21, 1998 TIME: 2:00 p.m. PLACE: Hawaii County Council Room 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Statements from the Public III. Approval of Minutes of August 19, 1998 IV. Unfinished Business V. New Business A. Community Development Division 1. Approval of an Appropriation Ordinance for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. 2. Approval of an Appropriation Ordinance for the 1998 Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) Program. VI. For Information A. Community Development Division 1. HUD - Back in Business 2. 1999 Tentative CDBG Action Plan Schedule VII. Administrator's Oral Report Next Meeting: To be determined VIII. Adjournment 0811h.dkl HAWAII COUNTY HOUSING AGENCY COUNTY OF HAWAII HILO, HAWAII October 21, 1998 CALL TO ORDER The meeting of the Hawaii County Housing Agency (HCHA) was called to order by Chairman John Santangelo at 2:08 p.m. (according to clock in County Council Room) Aaencv Members Present Absent and Excused John Santangelo, Chairman Al Smith, Vice Chairman James Arakaki, arrived at 2:09 Aaron Chung Bobby-Jean Leithead-Todd Joe Reynolds John Ray J. Curtis Tyler III Dominic Yagong Staff Members Present Edwin Taira Tina Whitmarsh Donna Leonard Leah Yanagi Clyde Yoshida STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC There were no statements from the public. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Mr. Yagong and seconded by Mr. Ray that the minutes of August 19, 1998, be approved. Chairman Santangelo: Any additions, deletions, corrections? Mr. Tyler. Mr. Tyler: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 2 of the minutes, in the first two paragraphs that start with Mr. Tyler, it says, "non-substandard." Both of them are supposed to be "non-substantive." Chairman Santangelo: Yes, non-substantive. Mr. Tyler: Non-substantive. Those are non-substantive changes to the minutes anyway. That's all I found. With that amendment, I support. Motion was carried unanimously. O81]H.DKL UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. NEW BUSINESS - ITEM V.A.1. Chairman Santangelo: Item V.A.1. is the approval of an appropriation ordinance for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. It was moved by Mr. Yagong and seconded by Mr. Ray that the appropriation ordinance be approved and recommended for adoption by the Hawaii County Council. Chairman Santangelo: Yes, Mr. Tyler. Mr. Tyler: Very, very quick, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Taira, on this what's happened is there's three different accounts; one for 1992, one for 1997 and 1998. Is that correct? Mr. Taira: Correct. Mr. Tyler: And so the 1992, it's just being carried forward? Mr. Taira: All those excess funds from those existing projects are being... Mr. Tyler: Are being lumped in, yes, being carried forward. So, how does it go back to 1992? Mr. Taira: When we received the funds, we used to have to keep them separate by grant years. Mr. Tyler: I see. Mr. Taira: So, when certain projects have excess funds, you can take from one grant year till you match it to another grant year. Mr. Tyler: It goes back to that year... Mr. Taira: So, the projects are already approved by Council. we're just doing administrative work, transferring the money from one account to another account where we can expend the funds. Mr. Tyler: We'd be lucky to have that money last that long. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Motion was carried unanimously. O81'!H. DKL - 2 - ITEM V.A.2. Chairman Santangelo: Item V.A.2. is the approval of an appropriation ordinance for the 1998 Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) Program. It was moved by Mr. Yagong and seconded by Mr. Ray that the appropriation ordinance be approved and recommended for adoption by the Hawaii County Council. Motion was carried unanimously. FOR INFORMATION - ITEM VI.A.l. Chairman Santangelo: Under VI. For Information, and it is for information, we have a community development division, H U D, or HUD, Back in Business. I guess we can take them both together. Mr. Taira: What it is is HUD announced that the funding got approved before Congress tackled the regular operating budget for the federal government. It got approved prior to that. So, HUD announced what their programs were that they got funded. So, Congress started to fund housing programs again. That's why their headline was "Back in Business." Chairman Santangelo: I saw something in there about helping people move closer to jobs. So, I guess we have to go find jobs, huh? Mr. Taira: Part of the new initiative was that, when you get new vouchers, one of the requirements would be training of those tenants. So, they would be getting off of welfare as part of the welfare reform movement, so they progress to having jobs. They're adjusting some of the housing rules to allow for welfare recipients or assisted housing recipients to work to where they won't be penalized for the money they earn. So, there would be some moratorium so they would be able to save some of the money they earned and their rent wouldn't go up. So, there would be an incentive to work. Right now there's a disincentive. Every dollar you earn, you lose assistance for. They're changing the rules. Chairman Santangelo: Mr. Tyler. Mr. Tvler: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yesterday, at the Human Services Economic Development committee meeting, we had a presentation from Touch Media and Pacific Area Consultants regarding some projects that are going on in some other counties with respect to welfare-to-work programs and the use of federal dollars to fund what you call kiosks, but it's kind of like a website for public information and public services. I'm wondering if some of these funds might be able to be used for this and maybe after the meeting I can just talk to you about who (inaudible) that. O81'IH. DI(L -.3 - Mr. Taira: Yes. Mr. Tyler: It seemed logical to bring it up under this. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Santangelo: Ed, for clarification, there is no action needed on this, right? Mr. Taira: No. We're just informing you that HUD has announced its new budget. ITEM VI.A.2. Chairman Santangelo: Item VI.A.2. is the 1999 Tentative CDBG Action Plan Schedule. Mr. Taira: We're going out next month for public hearings throughout the community and this is the schedule. We normally follow this every year. So, if you guys have projects, make sure they send in applications. Chairman Santangelo: Mr. Yagong. Mr. Yaaona: Mr. Chairman, I spoke to Mr. Taira earlier before the meeting. I understand there were some amendments made by the Mayor regarding the affordable housing program where they sent out to various people, asking for their comments. Forgive me, was that circulated to the Council members? Chairman Santangelo: No. It hasn't come up. I asked Ed about that. I don't know if that goes to housing. Mr. Taira: It will come trough housing. Chairman Santangelo: Come through housing? Because, that's a County ordinance now. Mr. Taira: Yes. Just like your appropriation ordinances. You hear it here, not in a Council committee meeting. Mr. Yavona: The reason I'm bringing it up is I didn't recall seeing the proposed amendments, but Mr. Taira mentioned that the amendments were sent to these various people for their comments. So, if they got it, I would imagine we should get it too. Chairman Santangelo: what I was doing was, and what I asked Ed to do, was send this out to the developers and the interested parties (inaudible), let's get that input from them and then circulate it to the Council so that you weren't just starting from scratch. You knew how they felt, they could give you a springboard in your thought and so, just to have those come through at that time and then go oeivx. oia. - 4 - ahead and gain resource from that. So, it's supposed to be coming up. Apparently, only the unions have responded, so I'd like to, you know, make a... Mr. Taira: The unions and state agencies. Chairman Santangelo: ...and state agencies. I'd like to get a couple of these planners around town with their ideas. Mr. Yagong: I see what you're saying, Mr. Chairman. Is it possible at all to at least get a glimpse on what these proposed amendments were? Chairman Santangelo: Oh, sure. We have the ordinance. I just didn't want to get them confused, but we have the ordinance. Mr. Yacrona: Okay. I would appreciate... Chairman Santangelo: Very, very basic, almost (inaudible) changes. Mr. Tyler. Mr. Tyler: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With respect to Mr. Yagong's comments, I believe you circulated copies of the ordinance and asked for comments prior to this meeting because I received such a thing. Chairman Santangelo: Well, maybe it did come up then. Mr. Tyler: I received it and it said that if you have any comments to let the OHCD know, and the comments were being sent to...and they enclosed a list of where these comments were going and I responded by saying to your office, Mr. Chairman, saying that some of, I guess it was, I can't remember who I responded to, but anyway that some of these people who had testified before our 98-1 were not on the list and they should be contacted. I got a quick response from your office adding a few and notifying OHCD of that. But, I think your point is well taken, Mr. Chairman, that in addition to just the union representatives who came, we should talk to others who are affected by this, consultants, the public, etc., so that they can have a chance to comment. I know that the Carpenter's Union sent substantial suggestions for revisions and they sent me a copy of it. It's all color coded and everything. I'll be happy to share it with anybody who would like to see it. But, I assume everyone has it. Chairman Santancelo: The other people have received the ability. They just have not taken it upon themselves to take advantage of it and give information into this. I would hope that, you know...anyway, we'll save that for when the time comes. Thank you. OB llH.D%L -S- ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:16 p.m. (according to clock in County Council Room) OB 1'/H.DKL - 6 - Election of the Hawaii County Housing Agency (HCHA) Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson 1. Call to order by Council Chairperson as Hawaii County Housing Agency Chairperson pro-tem 2. Statements from the public 3. Open floor for nominations for HCHA Chairperson. 4. Close nominations 5. Discussion 6. Vote to elect Chairperson HCHA Chairperson takes over meeting 7. Open floor for nominations of HCHA Vice-Chairperson 8. Close nominations 9. Discussion 10. Vote to elect Vice Chairperson 11. Continue with meeting 0819h.Clw 12/07/98