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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.08.Minutes f Oshkosh RENTAL HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MINTUES AUGUST 8, 2018 PRESENT: Cheryl Hentz, Margy Davey, Matt Mugerauer, Timothy Ernst, Lori Palmeri, Matthew Stenerson EXCUSED: Linda Jevaltas, STAFF: Allen Davis, Community Development Director, John Zarate, Chief Building Official, Andrew Prickett, Building Systems Inspector, Casey Koelbl, Housing Inspector OTHER: Jeff Nau, Associate Planner/GIS Specialist, Planning Services Division Adam Dorn, GIS Administrator, Information Technology Division, CALL TO ORDER Ms. Hentz called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. The minutes of the July 11, 2018 meeting were approved as presented. (Davey/Ernst) CITIZEN STATEMENTS There were no citizen statements. CIVILITY MONTH-RULES OF CIVILITY Ms. Davey reported that August was Civility Month in the City of Oshkosh; an annual reminder to promote people being nice to one another. She stated the Oshkosh Civility Project had been in existence in the City of Oshkosh since 2010. NOTE: Matt Stenerson joined the meeting at 3:37 p.m. REPRESENTATIVE FROM GO-HNI (Pam Ruder) Pam Ruder,the Executive Director of Greater Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods,Inc. (GO-HNI), stated the goal of the organization was for neighbors to know neighbors which ultimately would result in residents taking pride in their neighborhoods. She stated as the organization worked to develop neighborhood associations, GO-HNI would seek out blighted or foreclosure properties and help rehabilitate them to appear more aesthetic and function better. She provided a map of the sixteen neighborhood associations in the City of Oshkosh and explained that GO-HNI was a public/private organization 501(c)(3) using funding to create neighborhood associations and to develop blighted properties. She reported there were f Oshkosh RHAB Minutes Page Two funds available in the form of interest free loans available to qualified landlords as an incentive to repair and update rental property. Mr. Davis added the Oshkosh Community Foundation had been helpful with established neighborhood associations in providing help with planning fundraisers and also contributing to various neighborhood association projects. Ms. Ruder talked about Rock the Block, a program that GO-HNI partnered with Habitat for Humanity. She explained with the help of a three year grant from US Venture they were working with the Sacred Heart Neighborhood Association to revitalize that neighborhood. She explained the revitalization project included rental properties and the neighborhood canvassing would begin in September. She stated the beautification and building would begin in spring with the bulk of the work being completed by volunteers. Ms. Hentz asked if a rental property had to be in a neighborhood association in order to eligible for the loan programs. Mr. Davis replied that neither rental property nor owner occupied property had to be part of a neighborhood association in order to qualify for City loan programs; however there were income limits for tenants and home owners to be eligible for those programs which proved to be a hurdle at times. NOTE: Lori Palmeri joined the meeting at 3:56 p.m. Ms.Hentz referred to literature provided by Ms.Ruder,and asked what the acronym ONE Oshkosh meant and how it differed from GO-HNI. Mr. Davis stated that ONE Oshkosh was an acronym for "Our Neighborhoods Engage' which was an umbrella for all of the "housing" entities. He explained members from ADVOCAP, the Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity,GO-HNI, and the City of Oshkosh got together to create a strategic plan for the City; although each entity had their own program the plan would complement the work of each organization and allow them to coordinate projects in order to create more affordable housing and complete more home improvements. He reiterated the umbrella was ONE Oshkosh and that each organization within had its own board of directors and set of priorities. Ms. Hentz asked what GO-HNI was doing to reach out to neighborhoods to get them to organize an association. Ms. Ruder stated representatives from GO-HNI attended all of the City wide National Night Out events of neighborhoods that were not affiliated with a neighborhood association. She stated GO-HNI had a f Oshkosh RHAB Minutes Page Three booth at the Saturday Farmers Market on the first Saturday of every month and published articles in the Oshkosh Herald to spread the concept of the healthy neighborhood initiative. Mr.Stenerson asked if changes made to the underutilized rental rehabilitation program made the program more accessible. Mr. Davis explained there were two rental rehabilitation programs available; the most underutilized program was a community development block grant which had the most strings attached due to it being federal money. He stated the other rental rehabilitation program was created using City TIFs and while both programs were similar in that there were income restrictions, the City program had fewer strings attached. He stated the City wanted to greater utilize its program for rental property rehabilitation, however the feedback given to staff was that the process was too difficult to justify;relying on the tenants to disclose their personal information in order to prove they qualify for affordable housing programs. Mr. Stenerson asked how neighborhood associations defined their borders. Ms. Ruder replied GO-HNI worked with city planners and the neighborhood associations to define the perimeters of a neighborhood association. Ms. Palmeri added that neighborhood associations could shrink or extend their borders with the addition or deletion of other associations. Ms. Palmeri noted there was a shortage of licensed contractors willing to complete smaller jobs and asked if GO-HNI had their own licensed contractors. Ms.Ruder replied that GO-HNI had not considered the shortage of licensed contractors and would discuss the issue prior to the Rock the Block project in April. ACT 317 WORKSHOP FOLLOW-UP Map Metrics for Districts(s) Jeff Nau,Associate Planner/GIS Specialist,Planning Services Division and Adam Dom,GIS Administrator, Information Technology Division, addressed questions regarding the metrics used to map the neighborhood districts in order to comply with Act 317. Mr. Nau explained he and Mr.Dorn were tasked with completing a quality of life analysis as identified in the City's Strategic Plan. He stated staff members from planning, community development, the police department, assessor's office and information technology(IT)worked together to determine what criteria and data would be useful to complete a quality of life map. He stated staff came up with a list of eight criteria: residential real estate foreclosures, CDU (condition, desirability, and usefulness) correction notices issued to properties, police calls for service related crimes against people, police calls for service related crimes against property, vacant dwelling units, Pacer Rating (Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating) and housing affordability. f Oshkosh RHAB Minutes Page Four Mr. Dorn stated there were many criteria staff would like to evaluate, but there was not readily available data sources to collect from. He displayed the quality of life map and explained how the data was obtained for the eight aforementioned criteria. Mr. Davis asked if the data collected for correction notices was specific to violation type or if they were pooled together. Mr. Dom replied the data collected for correction notices was not specific to each type of code violation, however the data could be refined if needed. Ms. Palmeri asked what the date span of the data collected was. Mr.Dorn stated most of the data analysis was from 2015,however the city manager gave approval to start analyzing current data to update the quality of life map. He stated the process to collect data was comprehensive as staff defined every contiguous block in the City and essentially evaluated each indicator against other city blocks in the current year. Exterior Inspections Mr. Davis stated the City was tasked to create neighborhood stabilization and enhancement districts to comply with state code. He stated the districts would be created based on the data generated for the quality of life map (neighborhood scorecard mapping) excluding the PACER rating and housing affordability. Mr. Ernst asked if there was public health data that could be analyzed for the creation of the districts, for example, lead poisoning. Mr. Davis stated he would follow up with Mr. Dorn regarding analyzing public health data. Mr. Davis presented the board the following list of housing inspection options for their input: OPTION #1-Rental Housing 10 Perform rental housing interior/exterior inspections approved by tenant within Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District(s), and Complaint-based rental housing inspections. 10 No exterior-only inspections. 10 Fees-based on State statute. 10 Fiscal Impact: Some of staff time recovered through fees, uses existing staff and contractors. 10 Neighborhood Impact: Some exterior violations are corrected and addresses complainant's concerns. 10 Habitability Impact: Any violations are corrected. f Oshkosh RHAB Minutes Page Five OPTION #2-Rental Housing 10P Perform interior/exterior inspections on rental housing approved by tenant within the Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District(s) and complaint-based rental housing inspections. 10P Perform inspections for rental housing exteriors. 10P Fees-based on State statute. 10P Fiscal Impact: Additional staff/contractor time required$75,000 +/-, minimal revenue to recover costs. 10P Neighborhood Impact: Some exterior violations are corrected and property is exempt for 5- years from exterior inspection. 10P Habitability Impact: Few interior violations are corrected. OPTION #3-Exterior Inspections of all Properties 10P Expand "Gateway inspections' to City-wide program of exterior inspections of all properties, residential and commercial, owner-occupied and rentals. Areas to be determined-could be different from Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District(s). 10P Inspection could include Housing Code, Property Maintenance Code, Nuisance Code and includes the 3 "unforgivable" violations: long grass,junk and debris, and parked vehicles on grass. 10P Fees would follow City's code enforcement service fees schedule: 0 $0 for first inspection, 0 $100 for 2 ndinspection, if not corrected, $0 if corrected. 0 $200 for 3 rdinspection, if not corrected, $0 if corrected. 0 $300 for 4th and subsequent inspections, if not corrected, $0 if corrected. 10P Fiscal Impact: Additional staff/contractor time$75,000+/-, more revenue generated from program,not all costs are recovered. 10P Neighborhood Impact: Exterior violations are corrected and addresses neighborhood's concerns, more property maintenance and nuisance violations are corrected. 10P Habitability Impact: No interior violations are corrected. Mr. Stenerson asked if the City created more than one district,would each district have to follow the same criteria. Mr.Mugerauer suggested the inspection program might be better received if the same data set was applied uniformly for all districts. The Board discussed the repercussions of tabling the decision of what option to recommend for the inspection program. f Oshkosh RHAB Minutes Page Six Motion by Hentz to table the discussion regarding options for the Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District(s) until the September 121h RHAB Meeting/seconded by Davey Motion lost by voice vote Ms. Hentz stated her recommendation would be to combine options two and three; she felt the gateway inspections were important. Ms. Davey noted the gateway inspections were already part of another inspection program, option three made the scope of dwellings more broad in that it included all residential and commercial property. She stated she felt the Rental Housing Advisory Board should not be making recommendations for owner occupied or commercial properties. Motion by Stenerson to recommend Option #1 to the Council/seconded by Davey Motion carried by voice vote Ms. Davey asked Mr. Davis to place the options on POLCO. Mr. Davis stated he would contact Emily Springstroh regarding POLCO and report back to the board. NOTE: Ms. Hentz left the meeting at 5:32 p.m. and requested the item of carbon monoxide detectors be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. Public Participation The board agreed they would hold a public participation meeting to discuss the neighborhood stabilization and enhancement districts and get feedback on their recommendation of option one. Communication Plan The board agreed to coordinate with Emily Springstroh regarding releasing information to the public and press. Mr. Mugerauer suggested at the next meeting the Board identify the neighborhood stabilization and enhancement district(s). FARMERS MARKET—FOLLOW UP Mr. Ernst stated he felt the Saturday Farmers Market booth was successful and well attended. August 251h would be the next date for the RHAB booth at the market. f Oshkosh RHAB Minutes Page Seven NATIONAL NIGHT OUT FOLLOW-UP Ms. Palmeri stated she attended all thirteen of the scheduled National Night Out Events in the City. She stated the Sawyer-Paine Neighborhood Association had concerns about size, prevalence, and the permanency of rental signage attached to dwellings in their neighborhood. Mr. Stenerson asked what the code was for rental dwelling signage. Mr. Davis indicated signage was a zoning issue, but he thought the sign dimensions were limited to a maximum of one foot by one foot. Mr. Mugerauer stated he attended several of the National Night Out events but did not hear of any concerns regarding rental housing issues. SOCIAL MEDIA As Ms. Hentz had left the meeting, there was no social media update. ACTION PLAN Strategic Plan Update Motion by Mugerauer to table the discussion regarding the action plan until a future meeting/seconded by Palmeri Motion carried by voice vote FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Identify Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement Districts (prepare for workshop) Strategic Plan Update Carbon Monoxide Detectors ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:44 p.m. (Mugerauer/Stenerson) Respectfully submitted, Allen Davis Community Development Director