TITLE
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FLORIDA APPROVING THE LOCAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE PLAN AS REQUIRED BY THE STATE HOUSING INITIATIVES PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM ACT, SUBSECTIONS 420.907-420.9079, FLORIDA STATUTES, AND RULE CHAPTER 67-37, FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE CODE; AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE ANY NECESSARY DOCUMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS NEEDED BY THE STATE; AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF THE LOCAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE PLAN FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL BY THE FLORIDA HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION; APPROVING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD FISCAL YEAR 2015 REPORT AND EVALUATION; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE

BODY
WHEREAS, the State of Florida enacted the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Act, Chapter 92-317 of Florida Sessions Laws, allocating a portion of documentary stamp taxes on deeds to local governments for the development and maintenance of affordable housing; and

WHEREAS, the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Act, sections 420.907-420.9079, Florida Statutes (�SHIP Act�), and Rule Chapter 67-37, Florida Administrative Code, requires local governments to develop a one- to three-year Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) outlining how funds will be used; and

WHEREAS, the SHIP Act requires local governments to establish the maximum SHIP funds allowable for each strategy; and

WHEREAS, the SHIP Act further requires local governments to establish an average area purchase price for new and existing housing benefiting from awards made pursuant to the Act; and

WHEREAS, the methodology used to establish the average area purchase prices and the purchase prices used are set forth in Section L of the LHAP and in Resolution No. 1324-08, which is attached hereto as Exhibit H; and

WHEREAS, as required by section 420.9075, Florida Statutes., it is found that five percent of the local housing distribution plus five percent of program income is insufficient to adequately pay the necessary costs of administering the LHAP; and

WHEREAS, the cost of administering the program may not exceed ten percent of the local housing distribution, plus five percent of program income deposited into the trust fund, except that small counties, as defined in section 120.52(17), Florida Statues, and eligible municipalities receiving a local housing distribution of up to $350,000.00 may use up to ten percent of program income for administrative costs; and

WHEREAS, the Public Housing and Community Development Department has prepared a three-year LHAP for submission to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation; and

WHEREAS, the Affordable Housing Advisory Board Fiscal Year 2015 Report and Evaluation, was provided to Board Members on February 2, 2016 and requires Board approval; and

WHEREAS, this Board finds that it is in the best interest of the public for the Miami-Dade County to submit the Local Housing Assistance Plan for review and approval so as to qualify for said documentary stamp tax funds.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:

Section 1. This Board hereby approves the Local Housing Assistance Plan, as attached hereto as Attachment A and incorporated herein by reference, for submission to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation as required by sections 420.907-420-9079, Florida Statutes, for Fiscal Years 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 and the Affordable Housing Advisory Board Fiscal Year 2015 Report and Evaluation, as attached.

Section 2. The County Mayor or the County Mayor�s designee, is hereby directed and authorized to execute any documents and certifications required by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation as related to the Local Housing Assistance Plan, and to do all things necessary and proper to carry out the term and conditions of said program.

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Date:

To: Honorable Chairman Jean Monestime
and Members, Board of County Commissioners

From: Carlos A. Gimenez
Mayor

Subject: Resolution Approving the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Local Housing Assistance Plan for FY 2016-17, FY 2017-18, and FY 2018-19

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (Board) approve the attached resolution to: (1) adopt the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) for FY 2016-17, FY 2017-18, and FY 2018-19; (2) authorize the County Mayor or the County Mayor�s designee to execute any documents and certifications required by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) as related to the LHAP; and (3) authorize the County Mayor or the County Mayor�s designee to do all things necessary and proper to carry out the terms and conditions of said program, as described in the attached LHAP. It is also recommended that the Board adopt the Affordable Housing Advisory Board�s 2015 Report and Evaluation. It is noted that SHIP funding will continue to be awarded to for-profit and non-profit entities through a competitive process, and shall be subject to approval by the Board.

SCOPE
The impact of the SHIP LHAP is countywide.

FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE
This item will not have a negative fiscal impact on the County�s General Fund. Approval of the three-year SHIP LHAP will not require additional resources, as it sets the strategies that the County will follow to allocate SHIP funds in FY 2016-17 through FY 2018-19.

The program�s administrative costs are covered by SHIP funds, as allowed under the administrative cap requirement. These required administrative costs are included as part of the adopted budget for the Public Housing and Community Development Department (Department) and may not exceed 10 percent of the local housing distribution, plus five (5) percent of program income deposited into the trust fund, as per Resolution No. R-517-95 adopted by the Board on April 18, 1995.

TRACK RECORD/MONITORING
This program will continue to be operated by the County under the purview of Michael Liu, Department Director.

BACKGROUND
The SHIP program provides housing opportunities for very low-, low-, and moderate-income persons by encouraging the construction, rehabilitation, and purchase of affordable housing units. More specifically, the SHIP program provides funding to defray costs of land acquisition, site development, new construction, rehabilitation, and/or other costs associated with the development of single-family homeownership and affordable rental housing units. The SHIP program provides construction loans to developers, which have been awarded through a competitive Request for Application process and approved by the Board. In addition, SHIP funds provide soft second and third mortgages to homebuyers and rehabilitation loans to homeowners, and also provides project-based rental subsidies to assist families with housing.

The Board approved the current SHIP LHAP on July 2, 2013 through Resolution No. R-522-13 and an amendment on October 21, 2014 through Resolution No. R-948-14. The current SHIP LHAP covers FY 2013-14, FY 2014-15, and FY 2015-16, in accordance with Florida Statute 420.9072(2)(b)2, which requires a Board approved resolution as part of the LHAP initial submission, as well as any subsequent amendments. Additionally, pursuant to the State of Florida rules, the initial plan and any amendments to the plan must be submitted to the State for approval prior to implementation. This plan must be submitted to the State by May 2, 2016 to meet the beginning of the State�s fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2016.

The LHAP does not incorporate new strategies or activities. It incorporates the recommendations of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board�s 2015 Report and Evaluation, included as Attachment C. This report was provided to the Board of County Commissioners Members on February 2, 2016 and requires Board approval. The change to the proposed SHIP LHAP pertains to a description of how the County will establish and process its waiting list. The description below is included in Program Details, Section I:

A. Waiting List/Priorities:
A waiting list will be established when there are eligible applicants for strategies that no longer have funding available. Those households on the waiting list will be notified of their status. Applicants will be maintained in an order that is consistent with the time applications were submitted as well as any established funding priorities as described in this plan.

Priorities for funding described here apply to all strategies unless otherwise stated in the strategy:

All applications are submitted by homeowners to the Community Action and Human Services Department (CAHSD) and placed on a waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis. When funds become available applicants are selected from the top of the waiting list. The waiting list is maintained by date of the applicant expressing interest in the program. Each time a group of applications are selected from the waiting list, processing priority will be given to elderly and disabled applicants.

On March 10, 2016, the Affordable Housing Advisory Board reviewed and approved, by a unanimous vote, the SHIP LHAP for FY 2016-17, FY 2017-18, and FY 2018-19.


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Russell Benford
Deputy Mayor