The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) held their public hearing at the EOC building November 14th, 2023 at 3pm. This public hearing reviewed the Annual Report of Recommendations that will be given to the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners.
Members of this board included private sector individuals like Valerie Clymer, a mortgage specialist, as well as Flagler County Employees, County Commissioner Andy Dance, City Councilperson Cathy Heighter. The committee went over their Annual Report, which collects recommendations for local municipalities to help create more affordable homes for our workforce.
One of the points discussed was SHIP homes. Florida Housing administers the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program (SHIP) which provides funds to local governments as an incentive to create partnerships that produce and preserve affordable homeownership and multifamily housing. The recommendation the committee recommends that staff review the county’s purchasing manual in conjunction with the SHIP program to help expedite the process for use of SHIP funds in home rehabilitation.
Additional recommendations in the Annual Report of Recommendations include, having staff develop a pre-application checklist that itemizes the affordable housing incentives offered to them, along with an impact statement where policies, procedures, ordinances and regulations are reviewed that impact the cost of housing. The committee also recommends that staff create a process that puts any of those ordinances, policies, procedures, and regulations come before AHAC prior to vote. AHAC is also recommended that the County Administrator and the City Manager of Palm Coast attend the first quarter AHAC meeting following the adoption of this committee’s recommendations. The committee voted on the report and it passed unanimously.
