On Thursday night the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency (IA) voted 8-4 to begin an “amendment process to allow infrastructure funds to purchase land for mixed-income affordable rentals including units for families with very-low and extremely-low income.”
Leon County Commissioners Carolyn Cummings, Nick Maddox, Bill Proctor & David O’Keefe supported the measure while Commissioners Brian Welch and Christian Caban voted no.
From the Tallahassee City Commission, Commissioners Jack Porter, Jeremy Matlow, and Curtis Richardson voted yes, while Mayor John Dailey and Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox voted no.
According to staff, the process to amend the current list of Blueprint projects requires two public hearings and a supermajority vote, which is at least four (4) City Commissioners and five (5) County Commissioners voting in favor of the amendment.
Thursday’s vote comes despite the fact that elected officials were told by Blueprint staff using sales surtax funds for affordable housing land acquisition would result in insufficient funds to complete the currently approved Blueprint Infrastructure projects.
If the amendment process is successful, direction on reprioritization of funds and/or scope changes to existing Blueprint projects will be necessary.
Florida Statutes allows sales tax infrastructure funds to be used for affordable housing in situations where at least 30% of the units are affordable for occupants whose income does not exceed 120 percent of the area median income.
Blueprint Votes to Include Affordable Housing Land Acquisition as a New Project added by Staff on
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Leon County and the City of Tallahassee have plenty of land now for redevelopment without the need to aquire additional land. The former homeless shelter property on Tennessee Street and properties just east of Star Metro and along S Lake Bradford Rd need to be redeveloped for housing.
This was not what the voters voted for when they approved the sales tax extension. From Blueprint website:
The Blueprint 2000 program ended Dec. 31, 2019. In anticipation of the end of the program, in 2012, the city and county commissions formed the Leon County Sales Tax Extension Citizens Committee. This group of 18 citizens was charged with presenting a forward-looking consensus plan that would:
Improve and expand local roads
Reduce traffic congestion
Build new sidewalks to local schools, commercial areas and recreational amenities
Target projects in all parts of Leon County
Reduce neighborhood flooding
Expand green spaces, parks and natural areas
Create and promote jobs in our community
I don’t see anything in there for “affordable housing”. The voters approved public infrastructure projects, which benefit the PUBLIC, not a small number of private citizens. By the way 120% of the local median income ($54k) is $70k per year and only 30% of the residents would have to make that amount or less. At $70k per year you can get a $500k mortgage. Is that “affordable housing” for “low income”? At a minimum, this should come out of the 12% of Blueprint funds that are for “economic development” and not from the infrastructure funding.
Why do they have low income? Min wage is 12 an hour now.
@ N.W. & T.M. = You are correct.
This article does not mention Where they are proposing to build this low income housing. What land are they purchasing to use for this? AND is this Really going to be used to house the Homeless that are taking over the city and county?? Tax payers have a right to know theses details.
They waste Blueprint money on useless Tallahassee Insider projects like Bix Seats at Doak or Cox’s buddy’s whiskey distillery… but when actually necessary projects come up like affordable housing and Bragg, all of a sudden they’re broke.
What do they mean by “insufficient funds”? Can we get a number?
This shows the misguidance of our leaders having good intentions, but they’re fiscally irresponsible albeit having good intentions.
The county administrator is grossly overpaid, as is the city manager who only facilitates three commissioners re-election campaigns 24/7 which shows that Tallahassee and Leon County are due for a reset.
Cummins, Caban, and Welch are up for reelection and voters should consider making a change in those seats on the county side.
On the city side Curtis must go as he is holding Tallahassee back by not agreeing to do a nationwide search for a new city manager.