Affordable Housing Budget Amendment Meeting

Affordable Housing Budget Amendment Meeting — Sep 8, 2026

Ok, folks 3 o'clock. And We'll probably get an influx of council members. And the next few minutes. But I want to thank everybody for being here I appreciate it very much. Important issue. >> And we do have public comment for about 15 minutes. 2 minutes each. I've got some cards here. But first will go around the dice and introduce ourselves. Other council members here. Layers of you want to wait all trying to have some public comment. As we get to the end of the meeting, if we have some time left where we're bumping up against, I think for 15 so they can get ready for the council meeting at 5. I will try to do everything I can to get everybody. It reduced. And so we have a candidate here for city council. Katie Hathaway. Would you like to waive your hand or stand upper? Do we have any of the candidates or any other elected officials? Okay saying? All we want to start. Peterson Council letter. >> Ramparts counselor's office, Ron Salem group 2 at large. And I'm Matt Carlucci for at large. I want to thank council sailed for being here. Let's go ahead. Start with our our comments and I. Council Salem and let you speak as early as I can. So you can speak well, there's some council members here after the bill signing is up. >> Can I make a suggestion? Are you here to support the proposal that Mayor De gun made to put in the budget or if you alter that in some fashion. >> Are you asking me that? Yes, I am. Little above. >> All right. Thank you. >> Kris Folds. Name and address, please, Chris Folds 40 East Adams Street Suite, 200 Jacksonville, Florida, 3 to 2, 0, 2 on the ceo first coast Habitat. You guys probably know us a little better by our former name. Have a Jax. Thank you guys for putting this group together and for your public service. I just didn't take a few quick points about the housing funding that was cut, particularly the down payment assistance funding. I believe these programs will be very effective that they can address real barriers. We're seeing every day and that the public, it's a real return on their investment. First coast habitat. Our problem is it really barriers to building? We've seen real improvements and city permitting in red tape in the neighborhoods department has been a valuable partner. If we had enough qualified buyers, we can build 150 homes a year. The challenge is increasingly on the buyer side, particularly among families, earning between 81 220% of area median income. In fact, we've only recently begun serving families of these income levels. Historically, they were families coming to habitat for help. But as home prices, interest rates, insurance costs of rising river isn't housing affordability, pressures move further and further into the workforce. So these families often make too much money to qualify for traditional down payment assistance. But increasingly, they just they need help getting to sustainable homeownership, just for us. Our clients 34% of our clients work and health industry, 11% work in education. 11% warehousing logistics. 11%. The service industry. And we're about to complete a development for 5 military families for families like this down payment assistance helps bridge the gap between what they can, what they earn and what it takes to achieve sustainable homeownership. And we know this return as we see it every day when the family by or our program, the housing costs, their housing costs decreased by about $200 per month. On average. And they begin building equity and wealth. This creates breathing or for health care, education, child care, emergency savings. They also become property taxpayers since 1988, our clients have paid nearly 40 million dollars in property taxes and cut today. Contribute 2 million dollars per year. Thank you very much. Thank you. That was a great presentation. Next speaker is. Joy. >> The last name is. Going to be pronounced by her. My name is Vo I live in 89. 71 Hampton Landing Drive East in Jacksonville. 3, 5, 6, district, 11. I want to thank you for convening this meeting today. This is a very important topic to the people in Jacksonville. I'm speaking today in support for Housing Trust Fund for legislation to establish it like the sometimes controversial kids Hope Alliance. It would be a commitment to our values. This community, the current plan to cut 10% of the services to our vulnerable youth in the Hope program and the continued resistance to create a more resilient and flexible, affordable housing resource short-sighted. In my opinion, if city leaders sponsor support and oversee both these key resources, we will see results in the next generation of Jacksonville citizens. Hopefully pun intended, reaching vulnerable kids and creating more sustainable homes for their families will result in less stress for seniors, parents and children better school performance, the resources directed to keeping them in their homes and in the long run, less need for law enforcement intervention in the future. We can identify the pods of violence in our country, an arc in our city. But there are so many what ifs we can explore as a community, if creative minds and service providers collaborate. One big advantage of the hope, kids alliances that there are opportunities for funding outside government. My hope is that we can have a sustainable resource for housing initiatives that offers the same opportunities for donors who want to invest in the future of our city. We have great nonprofits in Jacksonville, working on homelessness, relief and housing. If they work together, great things can happen. Importantly, government funding. And oversight can enhance this programming as we move forward. I came here as a Navy wife in 1993. When Jackson was less than a million people, I raised my children here, grew business here and retired here. There's no this is no longer town. And we have to pull together for future success. Right now, we're way behind. >> Thank you very much. Appreciate that. Our next speaker is Robin solves graph. >> That's close. It's good. Okay. We're going to before you got here. You know, that's okay. Said it was married a couple years before house. It. Good afternoon. My name is Robyn full scrap and I'm the executive director of the Jacksonville Community Land Trust located at 1, 2, 2, 5, West Beaver Street suite one. 25 in Jacksonville, 3 to 204. >> I'm here to ask you to restore the full 4.9 million dollars proposed to us establish an affordable housing trust fund for for-sale owner occupied homes. I understand the finance Committee face difficult decisions because of uncertainty surrounding the property tax revenue. But this proposal was not one a new program. It was 3 targeted investments addressing 3 of the largest barriers to affordable homeownership in our town. The proposal included 1.5 million for down payment assistance. 2.4 million to help build attainable homes and 1 million to assist with utility tap these at the jc Lt. We see all 3 barriers firsthand. We can assemble land work with builders. Secure financing in bring qualified buyers to the table. But rising construction costs and utility fee increases the amount of subsidy required to sell a home and a price worth working. Working families can report. Even when the home is ready, a qualified buyer MAY still need down payment assistance or closing cost assistance to complete the purchase removing any one of these investments leaves part of the affordability gap end result. That is why we are asking you to restore a 3. Not simply one portion of the proposal. We also asked that community land trust and other non truck profit developer such as our partners at Habitat for Community. The Express Lee eligible to participate. Public investment in the community Land Trust has lasting value. Ajc ot home is sold to an income qualified family at affordable price when the family eventually sells, the home remains affordable for another qualified thing right? The city's investment does not disappear after the first closing, it continues to serve Jacksonville families for generations. Council is supported individual affordable housing development and those investments matter that project by project Appropriations do not replace. Thank you. Thank you. City Trevor. >> Wb here. Some guys you got here. She wasn't able to get here. The next speaker is Linda Allen. >> Hi, I'm Linda Allen can short. I live at 16. 0, 4 Arcadia Drive number 3.10, zip code 3 to 207. I'm here to speak about the Affordable the Affordable Housing Fund. I've never been homeless. I've never there's never been a time in my life. When I was concerned that I would have a place to live. And I've been very fortunate. But I know that there are people who work at Winn-Dixie and check me out our who serve me. Food at a restaurant. Our who helped me at Target. Who MAY be pick up my trash that they spoke. Struggle. And are maybe not able to my grandson who graduated for Unf has moved back in with this folks because he can't. He's out of a job and he's in his 30's. And he can't afford an apartment. My thought is this. Of all the money that we have in Jacksonville? And what all the places it can go. We're all part of the city. Those trash picker uppers. The checkers. The helpers, the servers. They're just as important in our city as you folks are up. There are all of us back here. Our were each part of what this community. And my my hope is that would take that into consideration and building our community to make it stronger and more. Appealing. The folks coming in as we grow. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I agree with the your assessment. There is sound and then we have Adam Gray. >> Good afternoon. I'm Adam Graham. The pastor at Riverside Church in parking King. 26 50 Park Street. Also the co PRESIDENT Of Eye Care. The Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment Want to tell you today how I care got started working on affordable housing. >> Every year we do. These House meetings where we get together almost 800 people, 8 to 12 people at a time in living rooms in church, fellowship halls and little Sunday school classrooms. And we asked them what is bothering them about their city. What's keeping them up at night? What's making them think they might have to leave? What's making it impossible to live? We have people from every single city council district. We have people from every walk of life, people who are rich people who are for for poor people. North side, south side at the beaches, Arlington, on the West side. >> And over and over and over and over again. They told us. >> I can't find a place to live that I can afford. My parents can't find a place to live to live that they can afford and their retirement and my children, even those who are college educated can't find a place to live that they can afford. This is not a problem that it just effects any one demographic or anyone. City Council district. This is a problem in Jacksonville that touches the rich and the poor. The black and the White. Everyone has to have a place to live. And so we are here asking for you to restore the funding to the budget for the Affordable Housing project because this is the way to make Jacksonville better for everyone. Not just for one group, not just for another group, but for everyone. And we want to see Jacksonville be a place where everyone can thrive. Thank you. Thank you, MR. Gray. Thank you for coming. Speaker. I I think is. Akins. Thank you for doing this. MISTER Carlucci, my name is Carol Hawkins at 45. 35 Ramona Boulevard. >> And I'm also with I care and I'm also here to speak in favor of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, making sure that we do fund that. I think that reason that this is important to me is something that I want to mention is I know the city has done some things about affordable housing in many of you are aware that it housing deficit is a really big problem. I think one point that we have failed to make and I think we need to make it more strongly. Is that affordability gap or the gap of people who can't get into homes that they can afford widens. When you get to our essential workers, the people who are living at 50% am I. And so it depends what group of people you look at, whether people have enough houses or not. But for these essential workers, there are not enough houses. So I just want to kind of shine a spotlight on that. A lot of programs we have do do a good job and I'm happy for them. The reason we want the trust fund is because that is probably going to be the most effective program to solve the problem for that population. So I hope you all will look at more closely at that. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Well said and that's the population that we're >> want to talk this. Now. So I know some council members and bill signings tend to go for 15, 20 minutes or so oh, boy, we have our do. This elected Councilmember Monet Holder here. And Monday. You can clap ahead. >> Anybody that get go through, whether they win or lose, if they get through that large race, they deserve to have a hand clap by So a big city, we're so happy to have and also want to recognize my good friend COUNCILMAN Gaffney in thank you for being here. Always love your heart and what what you stand for. So. I can't really predict who else is going to be here. But what I would like to do at this point, another through the public comment. I'd like to ask Josh Hicks if he would come up in, give us an idea of the mayor's affordable housing program, maybe get some clarification as to what it does where the money would go so forth. And And then and they want to ask the auditors to talk about a little clarification on the Finance Committee actions and then I will. Lay out my proposal open up for council. I need to make sure that tells member Salem has a chance to speak here in the next few s he's got a 3.30, meeting. >> chair. Thank you, Joshua Hicks, neighborhoods, department, affordable Housing administrator for the city Jacksonville address on file wanted to start the mayor's proposal of 4.9 million dollars and the in the budget was listed as the the Affordable Housing Trust. And that's because we will be bringing legislation forward to deal with the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. But we need to see how much money is placed into the budget to be able to do that. But that 4.9 million dollars was a line item 3 programs. You have your capital Stack Program, which is a development fund. We've used that money in the past. There was 1 million dollars put in in fiscal year. 23 24 and then COUNCILMAN Joe Carlucci made a motion put in match with Jacksonville, Housing Finance Authority. So we did 2 million dollars. And with that 2 million dollars, we supported to programs that resulted in over 200 units for Jacksonville that are under construction right now. And important program because that deals with the supply that we need. We have 47. We have a deficit of 47,000 units right now in Jacksonville at 50%. Am I we need to build more. We need to build more low income and affordable housing at 60% or lower. Am I? We have just 42 units available at the moment for every 100 households that need it at 50%. Am I? We only have 29 units available for every 100 households that need it at 30%. Am I? 59% of renters. And 22% of homeowners are currently cost burden, meaning they're paying 30% or more of their annual income on housing. As you've heard today, this impacts a lot of folks. So I want to start by thanking the council. First of all, on funding the eviction diversion program, which was line item by the Mayor 500,000. Now, hopefully 500,000 after NOVEMBER, that 1 million dollars is important because just there was an article just this week that shows Jacksonville still leads the state in terms of number of actions. We have 15,000 which is the most in the last 5 years, just in the past year in terms of number eviction. So really people are struggling right now to be able to afford housing. So that Capital Stack Fund is vitally important because it helps us build the housing at 60% or lower. Am I then you have the attainable housing program. I think you heard Robin mentioned it earlier that we don't control what jta charges in terms of the utility tap fees, some properties by nonprofits are getting charged. 85,000 $1 just to hook up to super. They're not going to build on those properties without some sort of support. So this fund provides a little bit of support to help cover some of that gap so that instead of putting that $85,000 on the rents that they charge making a home run and 4 unaffordable. It's covered at least up to $20,000 so that out does not go on to the price of the charge and then the down payment assistance program. Vitally important. You heard it during the council discussion. That's going to support workforce housing individuals, might as there are teachers, our nurses, our firefighters, our police officers, especially when they're first getting started in their career before they got raises and before they've worked up their salaries, being able to get them into homeownership opportunities will free up the rental market so that we can actually get more people into into running and then move them into home ownership in the future. So all these cop, all these programs compliment what we're trying to do here in the housing ecosystem are trying to move people into home ownership while also making sure building the supply at an affordable level that we truly need to move Jacksonville, Florida, and to address the affordability crisis. And with that, I'll stop. Thank a Super Josh. Good review. Appreciate it. I'd like to now go to. >> The are council auditors. 2 kind of set the table. Esta. This money was in the budget and then where was moved to? Nothing long lever. But just to get a little. We'll keep moving because I I'll get to that. Don't you worry? MR. Petersen, is there. >> To committee. So as a state of 4.9 million was included in the budget. It was cut and ultimately ended up in a public safety contingency that has a balance right now of 23 million, 405,097 dollars. >> Much is I'm sorry. 23 million, 405,097. >> Ok, thank you. Okay. So that's how that the those dollars were cut from the budget and placed in that contingency. For some capital improvements for the sheriff and the our chief. What I want to do now is Reed exactly what. My proposal little bit. This is my proposal. It just what I think would be well to do. And then I woke up to my colleagues. I want to allow COUNCILMAN Salem to go first because and he asked if he could go quickly because you've got a meeting at 3.30, and that's what happens on council days. So I want to grant him that courtesy. So I want to say at the outset that I am going to read these remarks doing that on purpose because I want to be exact about what I am proposing and I don't want there to be many any misunderstanding. Affordable has affordable housing has been one of those top issues. I have tried to push and advocate for during this. My during this term I 5th and final term on City council and this might be my one last good shot. But it is important to me because I have heard from so many of my constituents, but how difficult it has become to find housing they can afford. And we just came through and at large citywide council election. Which councilmember him an a over prevailed. We're affordable. Housing was a major campaign issue. So I know this concern extends well beyond the people that have just contacted me personally. Is also brought up routinely at at least the mayor's town meetings that I have been able to attend. So numbers bear that out. Nearly 90,000 Jackson, the renter households are estimated to spend more than 30% of their income on housing and more than 42 1000 of those households spent over half. We also know the tens of thousands of Joshua homeowners, our housing cost burdened. And that's why I'm proposing this budget amendment. On the 22nd. My request is that we restore the 4.9 million that was removed from the affordable housing. During the Finance Committee budget hearings and place those dollars into the back in the budget for the city's affordable Housing Trust Fund. I want to be clear about what I'm asking us to do today. I'm not asking the council to decide exactly how every dollar of the 4.9 million would be ultimately spent. The mayor's original proposal identified several possible uses, including down payment assistance, helping create more attainable housing and assistance with utility tap fees. Those are all things we can consider. What I'm asking for today is that we preserve a 4.9 million affordable housing by putting it into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The council can come back then at the appropriate time and look carefully at our housing needs and determine exactly how those dollars can do the most good. I am proposing that the 4.9 million be restored from the contingency. Where those dollars went when the housing funding was removed. I've spoken to the council auditor about the mechanics of doing what of doing that and have been assured that this is an appropriate way to accomplish it. There's also an important procedural difference, restoring the money from the contingency would require 10 votes of the council rather than 13 votes that would be required if we used certain reserve dollars. I know the Finance Committee CHAIRMAN Landon. He's done an outstanding job in my view. I know that his goal is to bring public safety contingency. The 26 Million. And I want him to know that I will support. Him. This council in reaching that goal in any way that I can. If the council restores the 4.9 million for affordable housing from the contingency, I would fully support using additional reserve dollars necessary to bring the public safety contingency to the full 26 Million. I believe that gives us an opportunity to accomplish both objectives without having one important priority compete against the other. Saleable. Well, sir, it is 3.26, I'll turn this over to you right now. If you'd like. We can preserve 4.9 million to address in affordable housing. Problem affecting a very large number of Jacksonville families while still providing the full 26 Million. The Finance Committee CHAIRMAN Should be available for the public safety contingency. As do I? Jack. So nice to be safe. However, Josh will also needs to remain a city. We're working. People can afford to live, raise their families and hopefully someday owned a home of their own. I believe we can responsibly do both. And that is what I'm asking the council to consider. So that's the proposal I'm laying out on the table. By the way, I had a meeting scheduled on this last Friday. And that was the day before or the last regular working day before Labor Day. Our hard-working employees traditionally get off early on the Friday before Labor Day. So far, be it to keep from hitting there hard-earned time That's why swished a beating today. So I've done everything I can to accommodate every council member and to accommodate our hard-working staff. I'm sorry. The council Salem didn't want to spend a little bit of time in I'm sure he's here's I would have understood being 5 minutes late. But nonetheless, if he is the listing range of what's to come back down here he's welcome to. But that's why I said I'm trying to thread needle here today with what we're trying to accomplish. That said. I'm done with my proposal. That's what I want to propose. And I would like to ask 4 Monet Councilmember Monet Holder asked if she could speak because she campaigned so h# # o# this issue. And this is probably more her issue that it is mine at this point. And so I turn it over to you. Councilmember Holder do come back to MISTER Palooza. >> Thank you so much. Has PRESIDENT Carlucci so to your point, as I spent the last several months and even before that, the last several years talking to our neighbors across the city of Jacksonville, the one iss