OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee & Ethics Review Board: 2027 Budget Planning and IPM Reappointment - July 21, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 21, 2026
BodyNew Orleans, Louisiana
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:32:52

Transcript — Verbatim
2:27

Good afternoon, everyone.

2:28

We're gonna go ahead and get started.

2:31

If you'd like to take your seats.

2:41

Hear me clap twice.

2:48

So we'll get started and call the July twenty first meeting of the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee to order.

2:55

Why don't we start with roll call?

2:57

Elizabeth Holman.

2:59

Sabrina Mays is not able to join us today, but she sends her regards.

3:05

Maxwell Chardulo.

3:08

Ellen Lee.

3:10

Tasia Gasper.

3:11

Present.

3:12

Monique Blossom here.

3:14

Elizabeth Harvey here.

3:16

So we have six and a quorum.

3:21

So again, welcome to the July twenty first meeting in the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee.

3:26

My name's Monique Blossom.

3:27

If you haven't seen me this year at advisory committees, unfortunately, but I'm very happy to be here serving as co-chair alongside Miss Ellen Lee.

3:38

Today we're going to hear from fund administrators with updates on the Housing Trust Fund funded projects as well as Housing NOLA and Maxwell Chardulo on housing needs.

5:01

How do we do it?

5:02

Let me make the motion.

5:04

I make the motion because in favor say aye.

5:12

Aye.

5:13

Aye.

5:13

Aye.

5:15

Six eyes, the motion, the minutes are approved.

5:19

And so with that, we're going to skip down to item number three on our agenda presentations on housing needs of low income renters and homeowners.

5:31

And first we'll turn it over to our committee member Maxwell Chardulo to present on area median income and racial redress.

5:44

Thank you.

5:45

Um you want me to just go down there?

5:56

Yeah, yeah, I can go down there.

5:57

That's fine.

6:46

Hi everybody, you can hear me okay?

6:48

Yes.

6:49

Awesome.

6:50

Uh just get my clicker situated.

6:54

Um I'm gonna keep this, I'm gonna try and keep this relatively short, but wanted to share some new research from my day job with the redress movement um and how it applies to New Orleans.

7:04

And for folks who don't know, I'm the research director with the redress movement, which is an organization that focuses on organizing and building power at the local level to redress the harms of housing segregation.

7:14

And we currently organize in Denver, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Omaha, so not New Orleans.

7:19

Um but we put out a new policy brief about how racial inequality is built into the way we measure rental housing affordability, and specifically the area median income or AMI, which is a thing that I know we reference in this committee a lot.

7:32

Um so I I just wanted to share a little bit about how that applies here in New Orleans and a brief disclaimer here at the beginning that everything I'm about to say in this presentation is about affordable rental units and does not apply to affordable homeownership programs in the same way.

7:49

Um the brief shows how the rents set by the federal government for affordable housing are actually unaffordable to most renter households, um, especially in black and Latina neighborhoods.

7:59

Um it was inspired by a policy in Omaha that dedicated 40 million dollars in bond funds to affordable rental housing developments near a new streetcar line where there's risk of gentrification, which is a great idea.

8:12

Um but we found out that the majority of new units are likely to have rent set around $1,500 a month for a two-bedroom, um, even though the typical renter household in a black neighborhood in Omaha can only afford about $700 a month, so less than half.

8:27

Um there we go.

8:31

Um so that is the brief up there.

8:34

Um you can find it on our website, the redressmovement.org.

8:37

Um you can see on the chart here what the median renter household can afford in rent in Omaha is about um ten seventy-eight a month.

8:47

And then what the median renter household in a black neighborhood can afford, uh about $717 a month, and in a Latina neighborhood, about $959.

8:55

So in each case, that's far less than what the typical 60% AMI two-bedroom unit is priced at.

9:02

That's in the pink there on the far right.

9:05

Um that's the 1,500, roughly 1500, or from what a two-bedroom 80% AMI unit is priced at, which is more than $2,000 a month.

9:14

And so the brief tracks this huge racial rent gap in all four of the cities we worked in.

9:20

And and again, like I said, it's not in the report, but I re ran the data for New Orleans.

9:24

Um I'm gonna share that here in a minute.

9:27

And so before I do that, I just want to talk about why these supposedly affordable rents set by the federal government are actually so expensive.

9:35

Um it starts with AMI because all the measures of affordability and how we set rents are based on that.

9:44

So you hear us talking about the AMI limit for an affordable unit, and that's the most money that a household can make and still qualify to rent the unit.

9:54

Um, but in most cases, the AMI of the unit also determines the rent that it's charged for.

10:00

And we don't really talk about that enough when we talk about affordable housing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Public Safety██████████████████████22%
Procedural███████████11%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Community Engagement████████8%
Racial Equity██2%
Homelessness██2%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee & Ethics Review Board: 2027 Budget Planning and IPM Reappointment - July 21, 2026

The July 21, 2026 meeting of the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee (HTF) and the subsequent Ethics Review Board (ERB) meeting focused on affordable housing needs, funding constraints for 2027, and the reappointment of the Independent Police Monitor (IPM). The HTF committee reviewed research on rental affordability, heard updates from fund administrators, and discussed budget scenarios for 2027. The ERB conducted final interviews for the IPM position and voted to reappoint the incumbent.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Paula (faith-based community) emphasized the need for safety and permits data, foreclosure prevention funding, and highlighted affordable housing contractors working at $80-82/sq ft.
  • Arthur Robertson (New Orleans native) described his personal housing crisis due to rising rents and homelessness, urging action.
  • Madeline Tripany (senior) expressed concerns about electric bills and insurance, criticized voucher holder stereotypes, and advocated for training and sustainable housing options.
  • Nicole Barnes (32-year housing worker) argued housing is foundational to economic development and that the city is failing to meet the moment on affordability.
  • Kim Ford criticized NORA for legal battles over property rehabilitation and called for direct citizen assistance rather than developer-focused programs.
  • Multiple public speakers at the ERB meeting supported incumbent IPM Stella Cement, criticized the selection process for lack of transparency, and opposed candidates affiliated with the Office of Inspector General due to independence concerns.

Discussion Items

  • Housing Needs Presentation (Maxwell Chardulo): Presented research showing that federal area median income (AMI) calculations overstate affordability because they include homeowners. In New Orleans, median renter income is ~$40,000 (affordable rent $892/month), but 60% AMI units rent for ~$1,200. In predominantly Black neighborhoods, median renter income is ~$34,000 (affordable rent $741/month). Current programs (LIHTC, HOME, etc.) predominantly serve 50-80% AMI, leaving a gap for 30-40% AMI households. Recommended creating units at 30% AMI.
  • Housing NOLA Presentation (Andrenika Mars): Presented the Housing for All 10-Year Investment Plan, identifying a $31 billion need across four categories. Highlighted that 70,000 households are cost-burdened. Reported that in the first six months of 2025, 534 units were brought online but 566 vouchers were lost due to underutilization, resulting in a net negative of 32 units. Discussed insurance crisis and the need for policy changes.
  • OCD Update (Jeff Schwartz): Announced full execution of the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) between the city, NORA, and FNO. NORA expected to receive $8.8 million and FNO $4.4 million shortly. Provided data on the Owner-Occupied Rehab program: 189 households served in Orleans Parish, 96% Black, average AMI 45%. Waiting list of 1,087. Discussed the landlord repair program and fortified roof program.
  • NORA Update (Brenda Brough): Outlined programs: Fortified NOLA Gap funding (launched July 13, 2026, 19 applications received), Homeownership Expansion and Resilience Opportunities (HERO) program (launch Sept 30, 2026), Owner-Occupied Fortified Roofing (Nov 2026), and Small Rental Rehab (Jan 2027).
  • Finance New Orleans Update (Blake Stanville, Sydney Shivers): Presented two fortified loan programs (ReUP and Legacy) using $1 million from HTF, and the Small Multifamily Affordable and Resilient (SMART) program ($3.4 million). Expect to launch by Sept/Oct 2026, with first units built by summer 2027.
  • 2027 Budget Scenarios (Maxwell Chardulo): Reviewed three revenue scenarios yielding $12-13.6 million in program funds. Assuming $10.5 million is committed to multifamily rental developments (pending City Council), only ~$2 million each would remain for homeownership and rental preservation. Discussed program options within those constraints.
  • IPM Interviews: Three candidates presented: Patrice Rose (OIG evaluator), Steve Kruger (OIG assistant inspector general, former FBI), and Stella Cement (incumbent IPM). Each outlined their vision, with Cement detailing her office's achievements and future goals. Public comment strongly favored Cement.

Key Outcomes

  • The HTF committee will finalize a 2027 budget recommendation at the August 26, 2026 meeting, incorporating the discussed constraints.
  • The ERB voted to reappoint Stella Cement as Independent Police Monitor, with the motion passed by the four present board members.
  • Both committees acknowledged the need for improved public notice and engagement for future meetings.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. We're gonna go ahead and get started. If you'd like to take your seats. Hear me clap twice. So we'll get started and call the July twenty first meeting of the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee to order. Why don't we start with roll call? Elizabeth Holman. Sabrina Mays is not able to join us today, but she sends her regards. Maxwell Chardulo. Ellen Lee. Tasia Gasper. Present. Monique Blossom here. Elizabeth Harvey here. So we have six and a quorum. So again, welcome to the July twenty first meeting in the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee. My name's Monique Blossom. If you haven't seen me this year at advisory committees, unfortunately, but I'm very happy to be here serving as co-chair alongside Miss Ellen Lee. Today we're going to hear from fund administrators with updates on the Housing Trust Fund funded projects as well as Housing NOLA and Maxwell Chardulo on housing needs. How do we do it? Let me make the motion. I make the motion because in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Six eyes, the motion, the minutes are approved. And so with that, we're going to skip down to item number three on our agenda presentations on housing needs of low income renters and homeowners. And first we'll turn it over to our committee member Maxwell Chardulo to present on area median income and racial redress. Thank you. Um you want me to just go down there? Yeah, yeah, I can go down there. That's fine. Hi everybody, you can hear me okay? Yes. Awesome. Uh just get my clicker situated. Um I'm gonna keep this, I'm gonna try and keep this relatively short, but wanted to share some new research from my day job with the redress movement um and how it applies to New Orleans. And for folks who don't know, I'm the research director with the redress movement, which is an organization that focuses on organizing and building power at the local level to redress the harms of housing segregation. And we currently organize in Denver, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Omaha, so not New Orleans. Um but we put out a new policy brief about how racial inequality is built into the way we measure rental housing affordability, and specifically the area median income or AMI, which is a thing that I know we reference in this committee a lot. Um so I I just wanted to share a little bit about how that applies here in New Orleans and a brief disclaimer here at the beginning that everything I'm about to say in this presentation is about affordable rental units and does not apply to affordable homeownership programs in the same way. Um the brief shows how the rents set by the federal government for affordable housing are actually unaffordable to most renter households, um, especially in black and Latina neighborhoods. Um it was inspired by a policy in Omaha that dedicated 40 million dollars in bond funds to affordable rental housing developments near a new streetcar line where there's risk of gentrification, which is a great idea. Um but we found out that the majority of new units are likely to have rent set around $1,500 a month for a two-bedroom, um, even though the typical renter household in a black neighborhood in Omaha can only afford about $700 a month, so less than half. Um there we go. Um so that is the brief up there. Um you can find it on our website, the redressmovement.org. Um you can see on the chart here what the median renter household can afford in rent in Omaha is about um ten seventy-eight a month. And then what the median renter household in a black neighborhood can afford, uh about $717 a month, and in a Latina neighborhood, about $959. So in each case, that's far less than what the typical 60% AMI two-bedroom unit is priced at.

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