Redevelopment Agencies and Their Role in Affordable Housing Recommendation: 2.13 The Board of Supervisors should monitor and publicize annually the accumulation and expenditures of the 20% legislatively mandated set-aside funds, with sufficient detail about the types and sizes of housing units created so the public can assess the quality, benefits, and effect of the expenditures. Response: Concur with the Findings and Recommendation. While the Board of Supervisors has no legislative oversight of the expenditures of a Redevelopment Agency's set-aside revenues, the issue of affordable workforce housing is a countywide priority. The Grand Jury's recommendation to monitor and publicize the use of these funds can serve as a catalyst in the promotion of housing within the County. In addition, state law does allow a Redevelopment Agency to contribute "excess uncommitted housing set-aside revenues" to the County's Housing Authority or designated Housing Agency. The County Human Services Agency, Office of Housing, could become a beneficiary of these revenues. This possibility serves as an incentive to track the expenditure of housing set-aside funds with the desire to work collaboratively with Redevelopment in their expenditure of "excess funds." The County has no existing monitoring program, but the Office of Housing will work with the various city Redevelopment Agencies, the state Housing and Community Development Agency and the County Controller's office to facilitate the collection of information annually on the production of housing both long-term and on actual units completed. This report would in turn be submitted to the Board of Supervisors and circulated widely. Over the next 60 days, the Office of Housing will meet with key staff from the County Controller's Office and with as many Executive Directors of Redevelopment Agencies as possible. The purpose of the meetings will be to get agreement on a plan for collecting information on the status of set-aside funds and on specific housing developments in the various stages of planning, construction and on developments completed. The status of the County's efforts to collect this information will be provided quarterly to the Board of Supervisors. Status: An effort was made to determine whether sources exist that monitor the use of Redevelopment Agency's set-aside funds. Although the state tracks the amount of funds, the information is neither current nor does it provide detail about the types and sizes of housing units created. Therefore, the Office of Housing will plan to move forward to work with the various city Redevelopment Agencies to facilitate the collection of this information and report its findings annually to the Board of Supervisors. Future updates will be provided.
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