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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution - 2003-R0549 - Resolution For Community Development Fund Use For Public Comment - 12/08/2003Resolution No. 2003-RO549 December 8, 2003 Item No. 37 RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the City of Lubbock (the "City") receives and utilizes federal funds to conduct community development activities pursuant to federal laws and regulations; and WHEREAS, on June 19, 2003, the City Council voted to pursue the use of Section 108 funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to conduct certain community development activities (the "Activities") as described in Exhibit "A," which is attached hereto as is fully set forth herein; and WHEREAS, the City desires to establish a Community Development Program in accordance with Chapter 373 of the Texas Local Government Code in order to conduct the Activities; and WHEREAS, the City desires to adopt a plan under which citizens may publicly comment on the proposed Community Development Program. NOW THEREFORE: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LUBBOCK: THAT the City hereby adopts the Plan, as described in Exhibit "B," which is attached hereto as is fully set forth herein, under which citizens may publicly comment on the proposed Community Development Program. Passed by the City Council this 8th day of Decem r , 2003. MARC M UGAL, MAYOR ATTEST: Re ecca Garza, City Secretary APPROVED AS TO CONTENT: Nancy Han( Community, APPROVED AS TO FORM: as/CCDocs/2003 Resolutions/US Dept. Housing.Res. November 24, 2003 Resolution No. 2003-RO549 EXHIBIT "A" City of Lubbock, Texas Section 108 Loan Project Summary Section I: Project Overview: The purpose of the Section 108 application is to provide the necessary funding for the City of Lubbock's Community Development Department to offer the Housing Rehabilitation and Program to its citizenry. The program will be offered on a citywide basis with the goal of lessening the number of substandard housing units. This will be accomplished by rehabilitating those houses that are in need of repair and are considered to be salvageable. The alternative of reconstruction will only be undertaken when Housing inspectors determine that the costs associated with the rehabilitation are too great when compared to the value of the home. Community development staff will strive to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to individual families. Participation in the program will be limited only to low -to -moderate income households. The main goal of the program is to have a large injection of funds dedicated to the improvement of the housing conditions for families of low -to -moderate income throughout Lubbock. The work to be completed will meet HUD guidelines as defined within the Guide to National Objectives and Eligible Activities. On pages 2-83 and 2-84, the guide states that "reconstruction" became explicitly eligible for CDBG assistance as a result of a legislative change under section 2245 of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996. We plan to utilize the program income from the project in a way that will allow Community Development to eventually offer a self-sustaining Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program. Staff's belief is that we will be able to repay the 108 based on the program income from our current loan portfolio and that of the 108 - generated loans. In order to accomplish our goal of creating a self-sustaining program, the city will set aside $160,000 in CDBG funds to assist with repayment. This will allow for the creation of a pool of money to be used for the program to be created in a shorter timeframe. Staff views the proposal as setting aside a mere $160,000 in CDBG funds annually for the opportunity to inject $1 million into affordable housing over a three year period. Project Description: Community Development staff is currently administering several similar programs to those proposed within the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Program. Thus, the expertise necessary to carry out this project is already in place. There are currently four Rehab Loan Specialists on staff. Their duties will include soliciting the application, underwriting, and servicing the loan after approval. This will include accepting payments and any collection work that may become necessary. The entire loan process will be handled in house. Community Development also has five Housing Inspectors that will oversee the construction work on the homes. Through staff's joint efforts the project will follow these steps: 1. Advertise citywide for participants 2. Accept applications for program (follow previously adopted underwriting procedures) 3. Determine eligibility of applicants 4. Housing Inspector will complete inspection of home 5. Determination is made whether house should be rehabilitated or if reconstruction is necessary 6. Write-up is completed and bids are solicited 7. Contractor is awarded job 8. Contractor and homeowner execute a contract for the pending work 9. Work begins 10. Upon completion, a final inspection will be performed by staff to ensure the quality of work (Staff will perform inspections at three different points -50% completion, 90% completion and when work is complete) 11. Payback begins once the work is completed The project will only be available to individuals or families that are owner/occupants of their home. The property will not change ownership during the process. The City of Lubbock, through the Urban Renewal Agency, will seek to protect its position by placing a lien on the property equal to the amount of the work completed on the residence. This lien will be released upon satisfactory payback of the loan. Program Specifics: The program will consist of two major components, the Housing Reconstruction Program and the Major/Minor Residential Rehabilitation Loan Program. The Major/Minor Rehabilitation Program will consist of four types of activities including Residential Rehabilitation, Exterior & Energy Efficiency, Barrier Free, and Critical Home Repair. A brief description of each program will be provided below. Housing Reconstruction Program • This program will provide loans to remove substandard housing from the city. Homeowners are under voluntary relocation while the reconstruction of their home is performed. • $90,000 maximum • maximum loan term of 30 years • Interest Rate: minimum of 6.0% • Interest Rate: public offering rate plus 1.0% • Units served is expected to be 10 units Categories of the Major/Minor Residential Rehabilitation Loan Program 1. Residential Rehabilitation • This program will provide loans to bring substandard houses up to Lubbock's minimum housing code. This will be accomplished by making general interior and exterior repairs. • $50,000 maximum • maximum loan term of 30 years • Interest Rate: minimum of 6.0% • Interest Rate: public offering rate plus 1.0% • Units served is expected to be 10 units 2. Exterior & Energy Efficiency • This program will provide loans to make exterior repairs to homes of low -to - moderate income families and individuals within the city limits. Program will enable households to make repairs that will result in savings in energy consumption and/or exterior repairs such as roofs, sidewalks, driveways, fences, windows, doors, painting and termite extermination. • $13,500 maximum • maximum loan term of 10 years • Interest Rate: minimum of 8.0% • Interest Rate: public offering rate plus 2.0% 0 Units served is expected to be 40 2003- 2054 j 3. Barrier Free • This program will assist persons with disabilities that have self care and mobility limitations. Repairs would include needed structural changes to dwellings including wheelchair ramps, grab bars, accessible showers, handicap toilets/sinks/faucets, and widening doors. • $10,000 maximum • maximum loan term of 10 years • Interest Rate: minimum of 8.0% • Interest Rate: public offering rate plus 2.0% • Units served is expected to be 10 4. Critical Home Repair • This program is designed to assist homeowners in specific areas of repair determined to be of eminent threat. These areas include water lines, sewer lines/private water disposal, gas lines, water heaters, heaters (seasonal), air conditioners (seasonal), electrical systems, and other health and safety issues that may arise. • $7,000 maximum • maximum loan term of 10 years • Interest Rate: minimum of 8.0% • Interest Rate: public offering rate plus 2.0% • Units served is expected to be 10 The city does plan to charge different interest rates for the varying projects. City staff looked closely at the interest rates that are being charged in the Lubbock market for loans of different sizes and scopes. The larger projects, which will have a payback of up to 30 years, will have a minimum interest rate of 6.0%. The smaller projects that will, in turn, have a shorter payback will have a minimum interest rate of 8.0%. There are several reasons for the discrepancy. First, the loans for the Reconstruction and the Rehabilitation programs will be secured by a lien for a larger percentage of the value of the property. The thought is that since our risk in the property is lessened through the increased collateral, we would pass this on to the homeowner in the form of a lower interest rate. Next, loans of a shorter payback tend to have a larger interest rate on the open market. This will also be the case in terms of our portfolio that results from the 108. We have learned that the homeowners that participate in the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation programs will pay a comparable rate at other institutions. If we are not comparable or even slightly lower than others in town, the property owners will have no incentive to utilize our programs. On the other hand, the property owners would pay a much higher rate of interest for the smaller projects if they went to a local bank or did business with a local contractor or vendor. For example, a signature loan at our employee credit union is currently being offered at 14.0%. A family or individual could expect to pay approximately 12.0 to 15.0% for the replacement of a heating and air conditioning unit. We feel that our 8.0% minimum rate is fair and will result in the utilization of the program funds. The minimum interest rates will be charged for loans that are made during the time that the "Interim Rate" applies to our payback to HUD. Once the public offering is made, the city plans to charge a rate that is 1% above the 108 -interest rate for the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation programs. The interest rate for the smaller projects will be 2% above the public offering rate. For example if the public offering yields an interest rate of 5.5%, the city will assess a 6.5% rate for the larger projects and an 8.0% rate for the smaller projects. 2oc�3 — �p5�4q The rates charged for the programs will never fall below the 6.0% and 8.0% minimums that are listed above. Repayment Information and Collateral: Community Development is seeking to set up an 8 -year payback of the Section 108 loan. The expedited payback will allow us to quickly meet our obligations for the loan and allow us to then start accumulating program income to be used to extend the Housing Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program. The repayment source for the loan will consist of the program income that is currently being generated from an existing revolving loan portfolio and the program income that will be generated by the 108 activities. The current loan portfolio has consistently collected between $38,000 and $40,000 per month. This trend has held true for the Fiscal Years ending in 1999, 2000 and 2001. The $39,000 average reflects payments on just our Housing programs. These figures exclude payments received monthly from our Non- profits and our Micro -Loan Program. The city will also set aside a portion of the annual CDBG allocation to meet payback requirements. That figure will be $160,000 for each year during the payback. YEAR PRINCIPAL YEAR PRINCIPAL 1 $125,000 11 $ 2 $125,000 12 $ 3 $125,000 13 $ 4 $125,000 14 $ 5 $125,000 15 $ 6 $125,000 16 $ 7 $125,000 17 $ 8 $125,000 18 $ 9 $ 19 $ 10 $ 20 $ Beyond the CDBG Entitlement, the Section 108 Loan will be collateralized through a first or second lien on the homes that participate in the program. The city would be willing to set aside up to $125,000 in revolving loan fund program income in an escrow account to cover any shortfall. Resolution No. 2003-RO549 EXHIBIT "B" CITY OF LUBBOCK PUBLIC NOTICE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM On December 8, 2003, the Lubbock City Council will hold a Public Hearing and will vote on January 8, 2004 to establish a Community Development Program for the City of Lubbock. The process of soliciting public comment is a necessary prerequisite to establishing a Section 108 Loan Program. On June 19, 2003, City Council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a contract and all related documents for the Housing and Urban Development Section 108 Loan Program that will be used to fund a citywide housing rehabilitation program. The Public Comment period will end on December 22, 2003, at 5:00 pm. Comments will be submitted by mail to the following: City of Lubbock Community Development Department Attn: Bill Howerton, Jr. P.O. Box 2000 Lubbock, TX 79457 Comments will also be accepted at the Municipal Building located at 1625 13th Street, Room 107. The offices are open from 8:00am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Persons may drop by to review the information during this time. If assistance or an alternative time is needed, please call the Community Development office at 775-2301.