Okaloosa County BOCC — March 3, 2015 — Approve Amendments to Interlocal Agreements for SHIP Program — agenda request

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: March 3, 2015 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Elliot Kampert SUBJECT: Approve Amendments to Interlocal Agreements for SHIP Program DEPARTMENT: Growth Management BCC DISTRICT: ALL STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Amendment of the Interlocal Agreements between Okaloosa County and the City of Ft Walton Beach to amend the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Local Housing Assistance Plans for 2007/2010, 2010/2013, and 2013/2016 to include the acquisition of existing dwelling units under the rental rehabilitation strategy. BACKGROUND: Part VII of Chapter 420 of the Florida Statutes creates the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program which provides funds for the provision of affordable housing. The SHIP program is administered at the state level by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC). As required by Chapter 420, every community wishing to receive SHIP program funds must develop a Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) that must be updated every three years. The LHAP must identify the specific strategies (rental housing, down payment assistance, etc) that will be used to help economically challenged families meet their housing needs. The County has a contract with the local non-profit Okaloosa Community Development Corporation (OCDC) to provide for the administration of the SHIP program on behalf of the County and City of Ft Walton Beach. The OCDC has developed the LHAPs for the City and County since the program’s inception. The County and City of Ft Walton Beach have an interlocal agreement through which the County serves as lead agency for administering the contract with the OCDC. During a recent review of the OCDC’s administration of the SHIP program, it was discovered that the rental rehabilitation strategy did not specifically reference the acquisition of existing dwelling units for rehabilitation and use as rental properties which the OCDC has done since at least 2007. However, in order to ensure that the OCDC’s implementation of the SHIP program unequivocally reflects the strategies of the LHAP, it is necessary to amend the LHAPs to add the word “acquisition” to the strategy. The attached amendments to the Interlocal Agreements recognize the amendment of the 2007/2010, 2010/2013, and 2013/2016 Local Housing Assistance Plans. The City of Ft Walton Beach approved the amendments to the Interlocal Agreements during its regular meeting of February 10, 2015. RECOMMENDATION: The Growth Management Department requests that the Board approve and authorize the Chairman to sign Amendment No. 2 to the Interlocal Agreement for the implementation of the 2007/2010 SHIP Program; Amendment No. 1 to the Interlocal Agreement for implementation of the 2010/2013 SHIP Program; and Amendment No. 1 to the Interlocal Agreement for implementation of the 2013/2016 SHIP Program. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: John Hofstad, County Administrator