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SUMMIT COUNTY - After a week of discussion and informal community feedback, the Summit Housing Authority (SHA) board of directors decided Wednesday to pursue placing an initiative on November's ballot in order to fund a countywide multi-jurisdictional housing authority.
SHA receives the majority of its current funding from the towns, the county and the ski resorts. The existing intergovernmental agreement is set to expire at the end of this year, and with research showing a steadily increasing shortfall in the county's supply of affordable housing, the SHA board believes taking a more aggressive approach to the housing problem is critical.
More money, however, is needed for the SHA to tackle the formidable task of finding the 3,000 additional units of affordable housing which a recent needs assessment predicted Summit County will require by 2010.
Funding for a countywide affordable housing entity could be obtained from tax sources, if approved by voters. Possibilities for financial support for a housing agency include impact fees, sales taxes, property taxes or some combination of the three.
SHA boardmember Mark Thompson spoke in favor of asking the electorate for financial support.
"If we don't, our mission starts to fade," he told the board.
Part of the board's hesitance to commit to taking the question to county citizens is related to a recent survey of 300 registered voters, commissioned by SHA, which showed a lack of support for any new tax funding for local "affordable housing."
The survey asked respondents about their support for possible tax combinations that could provide the housing authority with anywhere between $1.3 million and $5 million per year. The combination of a new sales tax and impact fees - fees assessed on new construction based on square footage - was the most popular scenario among respondents, but garnered support from only 47 percent of those surveyed.
The general feeling expressed at Wednesday's board meeting was that, despite the discouraging survey results, SHA has nothing to lose by taking a chance on an election.
Board member Marilyn Repsher's voice cracked when she weighed in on the issue.
"If we don't take the risk of going forward, we shouldn't be in this business," she said. "I feel very strongly about this."
Several board members expressed the concern that if the housing authority is not able to expand, or even to continue at its present level of funding, each town will find it necessary to address its affordable housing needs on an individual level. A lack of county-wide housing coordination could create problems down the road, they said.
The town of Breckenridge has been considering its own ballot initiative to support affordable housing, Councilmember Dave Rossi said. The SHA survey results were very discouraging, he added.
"If you don't get more than 50 percent (favorable in the survey), then the chances for passing are pretty slim," he said. When informed that the SHA board wants to move forward with a ballot question, Rossi said he thinks the town will need more accurate baseline data about affordable housing needs as well as a much clearer outline about how money would be spent.
Despite his reservations about the potential success of a ballot initiative, Rossi emphasized his support for affordable housing and said his fellow councilmembers accept that housing is a vital economic issue for the town.
The Frisco Town Council will enthusiastically support the move for an initiative, Councilmember Dan Fallon said.
"This is a great first step, because this will put the conversation front and center countywide and people will see the problem," he said. Fallon went on to say that he's observed the negative impact of rising housing prices in the 15 years he's lived in Frisco.
"It gets worse and worse every year," he said. "The labor pool dwindles and diversity of the community gets less."
SHA executive director Bonnie Osborn said she got no definitive response from the town of Dillon when she asked if they would support a ballot initiative, but Dillon Councilmember Don Parsons did not hesitate to endorse the move.
"I thoroughly support the SHA and whatever it takes to support it," he said. "This is a countywide problem and this whole issue is critical to the future of our county."
The town of Silverthorne tentatively agreed to support the initiative, depending on what type and level of tax support SHA ultimately decides to request. Mayor Pro Tem Peggy Long serves as town liaison to the housing authority and said that her personal business in long-term property management has caused her to realize the severity of local housing problems.
"We've priced the locals out of the market," she said. "We don't want to build a community with second-home owners and no families that live here."
SHA board chair Doug Sullivan said the board will continue to discuss the specifics of the initiative with the towns and stakeholder groups over the next couple of weeks to hammer out language that everyone can agree on. Once SHA commits to a ballot question, they need to present it to the Board of County Commissioners by the end of August to request it be placed on the ballot.
County Commissioner Bill Wallace said that although he couldn't speak for his colleagues, he supports the SHA and will vote to put it to the voters if the authority feels confident about its possible success.
"It's a little risky," he cautioned. "I wish it wasn't that risky."
SHA last went to county voters in 2002 to request a sales tax which would have raised about $400,000 a year for affordable housing, but the measure was defeated bt a seven-to-six margin. Local political consultant David Cunningham said the discouraging survey results do not bode well for success in November.
"Typically, you like to be over 60 percent (before an election)," he said. "Personally, I very much want to see them be successful, but they have a very, very uphill battle."
The board's decision to move forward with the initiative remains contingent on several factors. Board members were in agreement that, before a wholehearted campaign effort is launched, any proposed initiative needs to have a realistic level of support from the county's four municipal governments, as well as the building, Realtor and local working communities.
Harriet Hamilton can be reached at (970) 668-4628 or at hhamilton@summitdaily.com
SHA receives the majority of its current funding from the towns, the county and the ski resorts. The existing intergovernmental agreement is set to expire at the end of this year, and with research showing a steadily increasing shortfall in the county's supply of affordable housing, the SHA board believes taking a more aggressive approach to the housing problem is critical.
More money, however, is needed for the SHA to tackle the formidable task of finding the 3,000 additional units of affordable housing which a recent needs assessment predicted Summit County will require by 2010.
Funding for a countywide affordable housing entity could be obtained from tax sources, if approved by voters. Possibilities for financial support for a housing agency include impact fees, sales taxes, property taxes or some combination of the three.
SHA boardmember Mark Thompson spoke in favor of asking the electorate for financial support.
"If we don't, our mission starts to fade," he told the board.
Part of the board's hesitance to commit to taking the question to county citizens is related to a recent survey of 300 registered voters, commissioned by SHA, which showed a lack of support for any new tax funding for local "affordable housing."
The survey asked respondents about their support for possible tax combinations that could provide the housing authority with anywhere between $1.3 million and $5 million per year. The combination of a new sales tax and impact fees - fees assessed on new construction based on square footage - was the most popular scenario among respondents, but garnered support from only 47 percent of those surveyed.
The general feeling expressed at Wednesday's board meeting was that, despite the discouraging survey results, SHA has nothing to lose by taking a chance on an election.
Board member Marilyn Repsher's voice cracked when she weighed in on the issue.
"If we don't take the risk of going forward, we shouldn't be in this business," she said. "I feel very strongly about this."
Several board members expressed the concern that if the housing authority is not able to expand, or even to continue at its present level of funding, each town will find it necessary to address its affordable housing needs on an individual level. A lack of county-wide housing coordination could create problems down the road, they said.
The town of Breckenridge has been considering its own ballot initiative to support affordable housing, Councilmember Dave Rossi said. The SHA survey results were very discouraging, he added.
"If you don't get more than 50 percent (favorable in the survey), then the chances for passing are pretty slim," he said. When informed that the SHA board wants to move forward with a ballot question, Rossi said he thinks the town will need more accurate baseline data about affordable housing needs as well as a much clearer outline about how money would be spent.
Despite his reservations about the potential success of a ballot initiative, Rossi emphasized his support for affordable housing and said his fellow councilmembers accept that housing is a vital economic issue for the town.
The Frisco Town Council will enthusiastically support the move for an initiative, Councilmember Dan Fallon said.
"This is a great first step, because this will put the conversation front and center countywide and people will see the problem," he said. Fallon went on to say that he's observed the negative impact of rising housing prices in the 15 years he's lived in Frisco.
"It gets worse and worse every year," he said. "The labor pool dwindles and diversity of the community gets less."
SHA executive director Bonnie Osborn said she got no definitive response from the town of Dillon when she asked if they would support a ballot initiative, but Dillon Councilmember Don Parsons did not hesitate to endorse the move.
"I thoroughly support the SHA and whatever it takes to support it," he said. "This is a countywide problem and this whole issue is critical to the future of our county."
The town of Silverthorne tentatively agreed to support the initiative, depending on what type and level of tax support SHA ultimately decides to request. Mayor Pro Tem Peggy Long serves as town liaison to the housing authority and said that her personal business in long-term property management has caused her to realize the severity of local housing problems.
"We've priced the locals out of the market," she said. "We don't want to build a community with second-home owners and no families that live here."
SHA board chair Doug Sullivan said the board will continue to discuss the specifics of the initiative with the towns and stakeholder groups over the next couple of weeks to hammer out language that everyone can agree on. Once SHA commits to a ballot question, they need to present it to the Board of County Commissioners by the end of August to request it be placed on the ballot.
County Commissioner Bill Wallace said that although he couldn't speak for his colleagues, he supports the SHA and will vote to put it to the voters if the authority feels confident about its possible success.
"It's a little risky," he cautioned. "I wish it wasn't that risky."
SHA last went to county voters in 2002 to request a sales tax which would have raised about $400,000 a year for affordable housing, but the measure was defeated bt a seven-to-six margin. Local political consultant David Cunningham said the discouraging survey results do not bode well for success in November.
"Typically, you like to be over 60 percent (before an election)," he said. "Personally, I very much want to see them be successful, but they have a very, very uphill battle."
The board's decision to move forward with the initiative remains contingent on several factors. Board members were in agreement that, before a wholehearted campaign effort is launched, any proposed initiative needs to have a realistic level of support from the county's four municipal governments, as well as the building, Realtor and local working communities.
Harriet Hamilton can be reached at (970) 668-4628 or at hhamilton@summitdaily.com
