Everyone, I'm now calling to order the meeting of the land use and urban redevelopment committee.

It is 701 o'clock.

Today present with us, we have Co-Chair Price, Rep Politia, Rep Finkel, Rep Roudreaux, Rep Gardner, and Rep Adams, as well as ex-officio members.

We have Rep Walston in attendance.

Is there any uh members or ex officio members who I have not called your name?

Okay.

Now I'd like to uh take up the first item.

Uh this is item number one on the agenda, LU32.004.

That is the resolution accepting newly constructed Northridge Road as a city street under code of ordinances 214-32.

Uh, this was submitted by Northridge contractors.

Uh we have some invitees for this item.

Uh could you please introduce yourself?

Um IT.

Good evening.

Um good evening, Lou Chancellor, uh City Engineer.

Um, I'm joined tonight by uh the project designer, John Paglisi, and also the um developer's attorney, John Leiden.

So we are all here to um address any questions you might have.

Um I'd be happy to give you an overview of what you have before you tonight as item one, but I'll follow your lead, Chair.

Thank you.

Yes.

And so uh at this time I uh look for a motion to uh uh consider uh item LU32-004.

Motion to consider motion seconded.

Thank you.

Seconded from Rep Price, uh discussion.

Is there any uh representative who would like to uh start by asking any questions?

It'd be nice if they can just um explain uh what's going on well with this road and um the city taking over who would be responsible for will the city own the property or still owned by the private owners.

All right, thank you, rep Adams.

Uh would the invitees would one of you like to uh start on that?

Just give us a brief rundown of this item and uh the situation as well as the location in the city where this is.

Sure.

I'll give you a uh an overview, and uh if anyone else wants to jump in, I welcome that as well.

Again, Lou Castleau, city engineer.

Uh this property that we're talking about, or this road, Northridge uh drive, is uh located um in North Stanford.

It's located off of High Ridge, which Cascade Road intersects, and Cascade Road um leads to Northridge.

Uh it's right across from Michael Road.

Uh I'd like to give you a little overview of what has taken place here leading up to uh a request for your acceptance of this road uh per the ordinance.

Uh back in uh the summer of 2017, the planning board approved the uh subdivision application uh for the development project.

Uh subdivision maps were filed in 18, and building permits were uh obtained shortly thereafter in 18.

Um the work uh had begun, and um that's about when the pandemic hit a year later.

Uh so um I'm sure that had some impact on the progress of the project, but nonetheless, the project was uh completed.

Uh and as it pertains to this road, uh going back to the planning board's approval of the subdivision, it was approved as a as a public road.

That's very important.

So it was always uh uh approved as a public road.

It was designed as a public road to meet the city standards.

Um to comply with uh uh section 214 uh of the ordinance for the acceptance process.

Um my office is charged with uh certifying that the road was constructed in accordance with the standards of the city and the plans that were approved.

And uh we did that.

Uh we did that officially by issuing a letter in December to the um uh associate planner and land use, Lindsay Cohen, uh outlining all the things that were done uh throughout the process leading up to the certification process.

And at the end of the letter, based on the field inspections and review of the above reference documents, the construction of North Ridge Road was completed in compliance with the approved plan and specs and meets the city standards and is acceptable to the engineering department.

Um the final wearing course of the pavement was completed in June, and the roadway was substantially completed at that time.

Uh the applicant must submit uh a two-year maintenance bond and the amount of 15% of the performance bond.

Uh so we have no objection to acceptance of the road.

So that is a that is an important step in the process.

Uh following that, uh Attorney Leiden uh officially petitioned the road for acceptance to your board uh in a letter uh dated January 28th.

Um that's also a uh requirement of the uh process.

Um following that, um the the ordinance indicates roads constructed within the city may be accepted as city streets by the governing body upon petition thereof by the owners.

So Mr.

Leiden has petitioned uh your board for that acceptance.

Um the ordinance further goes on to say prior to acceptance by the governing body, such roads must be certified by the city engineer.

Um we've done that.

And lastly, um uh no uh prof no performance bond shall be released by the planning board until the street covered by such bond has been accepted by the governing body as a public highway, and a proper bond has been furnished for the maintenance of such street for a period of two years.

So attorney Leiden has been working with the bonding company and is uh in the process of providing the bond, the maintenance bond to to the planning board.

But um according to the uh language in the ordinance, your acceptance is required before that takes place.

So I hope that uh uh process is clear to you and and the work that's been done.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Thank you, Lou.

Uh is there any questions from any members?

I also see we are now joined by rep camparelli as well as rep Beckham.

Uh rep Adams.

Yes.

Um, so Lou, this road will always be a private road.

Um, so you just um no, no, it's it's not.

It's it was uh approved by the planning board as a uh public road.

Uh not private.

Okay, um at any uh what point um will the city take over or maintaining the roadwood?

Um once you guys accept it, it becomes the city road.

Once your board accepts it as a as a city road, uh I believe that's when the official uh turnover will take place.

Yes, part of part of this board or this committee's uh responsibilities is accepting uh new roads to the city.

Okay, but you say there's a bond for two years for any mishap or anything that comes up within the two years that the city would not be responsible for it.

Uh okay.

Okay, correct.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Thank you, rep Adams.

Is there any other questions from any members?

Uh Rep Boudreau.

Yeah, just a quick question on the um on the bonding.

Does that just cover the the financial aspects of it or is it uh operational as well?

So say there's you know a giant crack in the pavement, or is it city employees going out but with reimbursement through the bonding process or is it uh privately private responsibility for the the fix itself?

Uh John, do you want to address that or be happy to weigh out on it as well?

Well, once it's accepted by the city, and thank you, Lou, for your comments.

You summarized everything I would have said.

So I don't have anything to add to that, but we're happy to answer any questions we can.

And John Puglisi is here.

He's our engineer.

Umce it's accepted by the city, the city would have the obligations that the maintenance bond is done to make sure within that initial period that um we don't have any such issues or they're they're covered if there are.

The road has been well constructed and it's been uh inspected.

Uh members of city staff, and uh we're confident it's going to be a fine road for very long time.

I don't know, John Pavlisi, if you have anything to add, but maybe you can explain that you were part of inspections at the city and it's been thoroughly reviewed.

I think the question, uh John, has to do with the maintenance bond and who would be responsible for making any such repairs within that two-year period.

And I believe the bond would be would would hold the uh developer responsible for remediating any repairs uh within the two-year period.

Yeah, from the the proceeds and the procedures of the bond are there to cover that.

My my I would agree with you, Lou.

I would think that in the two years period that the developer could either fix it if there was an issue, or the city would have to fish it and then um reduce the bond or take the money out of the bond as part of their cost to repair any damage.

The idea is if the guy walked away, you would have money to fix it.

But I would think in the two-year period, um that's what would would occur, uh, unless I'm wrong.

But uh, you know, we have plant we have trees and plantings and all the drainage and all the stuff that was originally constructed as part of that bond.

So and um, you know, it's up to I forget the number, but 50 some thousand dollars worth.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, rep Boudreau.

Uh rep Adams, is your hand still raised with another question?

Oh, but I I guess I could look another question.

So after two years uh I guess my thing is do the poverty developer still own it or is hand over to the city as city property at that point.

Is not it be it becomes a city asset at that point.

Okay.

I think the property, I think the I think the property is owned by the city once the board of reps accepted.

It's uh you're only talking about maintenance for the first two years.

We're not talking about ownership.

I think the city owns the property.

Thank you, John.

All right, thank you.

Um that was my clarity because I I know um in the past we had something that the city had the right to use the road and but never owned the road.

So I was making that clarity.

Thank you.

Thank you, rep Adams.

Uh any other questions for this item.

Any ex-officio members with questions?

Seeing none, I would entertain a motion uh to vote on uh item number one, LU 32.004 resolution accepting newly constructed Northridge Road as a city street under code of ordinances 214-32.

So move to move.

Okay, that's uh motion moved by co-chair price and seconded by rep Adams.

I'm going to uh I think we could do I'm gonna call the roll.

Um, actually, so I'll do that right now.

Uh Rep Adams.

Yes.

Rep Boudreau?

Yes.

Rep Beckham?

Yes.

Rep Finkel.

Rep Finkel.

Rep Prinkle, you're on mute.

I think he might be uh in his other meeting.

We'll go back to him.

Uh Rep Field, I do not see his present.

Uh Rep Gardner.

Yes.

Rep Pelicia.

Yes.

Rep Hughes, I vote yes.

Um Repotaire Price.

Yes.

Yes.

All right.

The ayes have it.

Or uh I'm gonna uh circle back with uh repinkle at the end of the meeting.

Um the eyes have it.

Uh seven to uh zero.

Thank you.

And now at this time.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much.

At this time now, I uh up for consideration is item two.

That is L U.

Thank you, folks.

LU 32-005.

This is a review item of the owner occupied home rehabilitation assistance program under the Stanford Housing Affordability Plan.

This was submitted by Rep Adams.

Uh, do we have our uh invitees for this item?

I believe I saw yes, there we go.

Good evening.

Thank you, uh co-chair and all the representatives.

I'm Moira Sauch.

I am the community the CDBG administrator in the grants office with the city.

Um really excited to talk to you and to give you information about our owner occupied rehab program.

I'm really excited about this program.

This is a program that's going to be funded through a community development block grant, which is HUD funded, so it's federal money.

Um, because it's funded with federal money, the program does have to meet certain federal guidelines as well as of course all the city guidelines and regulations, and the participating homeowners and contractors will also meet the have to meet certain requirements.

So, what we are planning to do is we will be offering digital loans to low-income homeowners to help them or to pay for um quality of life, urgent need repairs in their house, up to $10,000.

We will be paying the contractors directly.

The homeowners you know will have to apply to us and ask us to approve what they're doing.

Homeowners, yeah, it's called owner occupied home rehab program because the projects we fund will only be for the property owners, primary residents, single family.

Um the project will only be to the home itself.

We can't fund repairs to outbuildings, to garages, to sheds, and again, there's a limit of $10,000 per project.

Uh to be accepted, the homeowner must be low income.

They have to meet the HUD income guidelines, which currently are roughly $79,000 annually for a single person and about $113,000 for family of four.

They're going to have to prove their income levels that they qualify with documentation, tax returns, etc.

Um, they're also going to have to have a homeowner's insurance policy on the property for the life of the loan.

Uh again, we're thinking urgent need quality of life types of projects of roof repairs, uh damaged windows, uh making a home more accessible, installing grab bars, ramps, those sorts of things, uh, hot water heaters, things that can be done, you know, quickly, not too expensive, under 10,000.

That has to be that way.

Um, the project is working across several city departments.

We're we're heading it, but we're also involving the fire department.

We'll be coming out and inspecting and installing uh up to two smoke detectors, CO monitor detectors in all these homes.

They'll do that at no charge.

So that's that that I'm really excited about that.

If the project needs permits, the building department is going to waive any of these permit fees.

They're also going to have uh an employee, a staff member who's dedicated to this program who's going to help us if the homeowner or the contractor needs help getting through the sometimes un the permit process.

Uh operations is also giving us an initial funding of $50,000 to fund certain light remediation.

Again, that can only be used to light on the house.

So you're thinking um damaged siding, broken windows, those sorts of things.

That's because of flight regulations.

Um contractors, we're trying to develop a list of contractors who are pre-approved, and that's because they have to meet certain federal guidelines.

The most biggest one is going to be that they are registered in Sam.gov.

They, of course, also have to be licensed, insured, registered, all the regular things, but they have to be registered in the Sam.gov database for federal requirements.

It's not a large, it's not a big ask.

It's pretty easy usually to register, but gotta make sure that they are in there.

Uh we currently got four contractors signed up that have completed the process.

We have about a dozen more who are in the process of signing up.

We hope that they all get approved.

If any of you know any contractors who might be interested, please direct them to the community development website on the city's website in the news section.

Um we're on the main page as well.

There's a link where they could sign up.

Um really need contractors.

That's a big um big part of it.

Um the owners will get bids from the contractors.

Uh, and then once the homeowner uh agrees that they are satisfied with the work, quality of the work, and the building department signs off on any appropriate permits.

We will be paying the contractor directly.

We are not the city is not going to verify that the work has been done to a particular standard.

We're not guaranteeing it, we're not putting any getting any liability issues for the city.

Um the homeowner will agree that they are happy with it.

We are only funding it.

Uh one requirement that HUD has is any project that HUD funds will have to have an environmental review formed before any other work, any funding, anything is done.

Uh, we will help the the homeowners put those through.

We're only taking projects that are at the lower level of the environmental review.

There's five different levels.

I don't know who's familiar with that.

So we're only going to take the bottom two.

Uh otherwise it's going to be over $10,000 project anyway.

Um the program we're funding it with, like I said, a forgivable loan five years after the we're putting a lien for the $10,000 or up to $10,000 onto the property.

If the property is sold within five years, we will forgive that loan.

Uh if they sell the property in less than five years, it'll be forgiven at a prorated uh discount.

But uh this is intended to be forgivable because it is to low income property owners.

And we will be uh the applications will be submitted through this grant that we have this portal we have called Zoom grants.

We have worked with several organizations such as Ferguson Library, Silver Source, um, a few others at the senior center who can help any of our applicants through the application process.

Uh and of course, we'll be there to help in our office as well.

And um, yeah, we're excited to get this program launched.

We are uh going to have a soft launch next week at the second annual.

Uh I think it's the housing fair that we're having next week.

I think it's next weekend uh at Wright Tech.

I think this is going to be really helpful, and um I'm very very excited for it.

I think everyone are in our the grants offices.

So if there's any questions, anything like that, please see a couple of hands raised.

But you guys are in charge, so let me know.

Thank you, Moira.

And could you just state your title and uh relationship to this program for the record?

Sure.

I am the CDBG administrator, so I handle all the C D BG and HUD funded grants for the city.

Awesome.

Thank you for joining us tonight.

Uh I'm gonna turn it over to Co-Chair Price for the first question for you.

Thanks.

Uh Maura, thank you so much for coming out and presenting testament.

Very informative, very helpful.

I think I'm I might have misheard something that you said.

Um it sounded to me like you said that if they sell the property within five years, the loan is forgiven.

At a prorated rate.

So if they sell it after if they sell the property in two years, we would deduct 40% of the loan, and they would forgive the balance.

If they keep the property for five years, the total amount is forgiven.

That's uh that's right.

I was hoping to hear from you.

Thank you very much.

Did I misspeak?

I apologize.

No, no, no.

I I might have misheard again.

I'm just glad we got this outcome.

Yes.

Thank you, Co-Chair Price.

Uh Rep Walston.

Um, good evening.

Hi, Maura.

Hi, how are you?

Okay, I was wondering like as to why this didn't fall under the housing committee.

This is the program started by uh the housing committee, former representative um Bonnie Kim Campbell, I think championed this.

So this is I was just invited to, I'm not sure how representative Adams uh decided to ask me, but this is this is the program under uh I forget what we're calling now, but the old HCDSS program.

This is that program that you were very your group was very organized, very informative of and helped us get it off the ground.

So it's finally there.

Okay.

Um and uh I guess you said that there is going to be someone who's overlooking the fund.

Oh, it's going to be you.

Yes.

Okay, okay, okay.

And my my last thing to the chair.

Um here, could this possibly be moved over to the housing committee?

Because um, I guess it'll be a way for us to keep up with the grants and the housing, because I think this is kind of misplaced.

I I if if I can interrupt, I I it is under the housing committee.

Uh representative representative Adams just asked me to come and address it to he thought the land use department would be uh committee rather would be interested in it as well.

But this is this we are remaining with you.

This is funded with CDBG funds.

So this is still the the community development.

Um I guess we're called chess now that we're not leaving you.

All right, thanks, Mara.

Sure.

Thank you, Rep Austin.

Uh Rep Adams, I see your hand is raised.

Yes.

Um, I guess I I request for it to come to land use this um program is gonna be hitting so many different department.

Um for the the building department for electric inspection, um, housing inspection.

So whatever work would be done would have to be inspected by the um but the city if they pull a permit.

So this is gonna be on.

Um could you address what you said about the fifty thousand dollars for the blight proposal?

You said something under the the blight situation, you could get up to fifty thousand dollar.

No, no, no.

I'm sorry to interrupt.

No, uh they the blight fund will fund up uh up to fifty thousand dollars to the pool.

We are still limited to ten thousand dollars to remediate blight per uh um project.

Okay.

Uh and it can only be blight is you know, blight runs out.

Um I I worked in blight for a while, so this would be to repair the blight situation.

So that's really only going to be again to the house and only to the exterior of the house.

We're not going to and the and if there's a blight lien on it, uh, or if the property owner gets blighted again in the uh five years, their loan will not be forgiven.

They can't just continue to allow the ha the property to um be in disrepair.

It's it's not a uh but you know, sometimes they just people are blighted because things happen to their house and it's on the outside and a neighbor complains versus it being unnoticeable.

Okay, okay.

Uh yeah.

Um what is the total um block grant fund for this program?

Right now the committee uh put aside 150,000 from C D BG funds and like I said, uh I believe we're getting up to $50,000 from blight.

Okay, so $150,000.

So you're doing about 15 households.

And I'm I'm sorry, I misspoke there.

I'm sorry, it's a hundred thousand, including the bright blight right now.

It's a total of 150,000.

I apologize for that.

Okay, so I mean, so that's it's not a lot.

A thousand, that's 10 people, another 50, that's five.

So you're talking about 15 um citywide um for this program?

If they all are at 10,000 up to 10,000, yes.

Hopefully some of them will be less.

Now, I I guess because somebody asked me a question, I think um Glenn asked me a question.

If the person um take the $50,000 and say for instance they wanted the kitchen, I mean the the $10,000, and it was uh replacing the cabinets in the kitchen, and it was two thousand dollars more.

Could the person come out of their pocket with additional two thousand?

So two things there.

First, that's not really the type of project that we will be addressing.

We're really addressing, you know, this is not cosmetic, this is not kitchen redoes appliances, you can't fund appliances.

Um this is really quality of life things.

Um, you know, your electricity is not working, you have uh you don't have hot water properly, you have broken windows, they're really quality of life issues.

We can't go in and do cosmetic things.

That would HUD would not allow that.

Um we are really limited to its total cost of $10,000 because of certain procurement requirements we're we're obligated to follow.

So we really can only fund projects up to $10,000 at this point.

Okay, so it is there a draft list of what program um can be supported and what program cannot be supported.

That when I'll consider it.

No, they were going to take them on on uh case by case basis.

Uh at this point, I you know the program is for as I said, quality of life.

This is this is not rehab.

So if somebody has a hole in their roof, we will absolutely consider it.

If somebody just doesn't like the colors of their tile uh of their roofing, we're going to have to have to shut that down right from the get go.

That does not affect their quality of life.

Um we was involved with a program like that came from the state, and we was able to have people steers repair.

Um mostly leaky roof on the houses that we was able to get about eight, nine of them done under one contractor.

They gave us a better price.

Okay, but um, I think this is a good program.

Um I think we just need to find out what can our constituents ice for and what can they not ask for, so it could be a smooth project, like you know, but updated electrical, a lot of the older houses still got the fuse, um, would have to bring it to a breaker box, stuff like that, that would qualify for a quality of life because now you don't have to go downstairs and take the fuels.

I I well, I believe that it's a you know, it's probably considered a safety issue.

Um I'm not an electrician, I'm not a builder.

I so I you know, and that's part of why we have to consider each thing as on a case-by-case basis.

If somebody came to me and said, I have known tube house uh uh electric uh wiring still, that is definitely a safety issue.

Um considered safety issue.

Yes, because most mobile's company, if you purchase an OLA home with that kind of electrical system in uh before you can close or you gotta get an escrow to make sure it's done uh before they even um cover you.

All right, but thank you.

I appreciate you for coming.

And I'm sorry, can I can I just add if if the homeowner will have to have owned and lived in their house for at least 18 months, so we can't fund something with you know, we can't fund if a new homeowner has just purchased a home with the idea that then they can apply for this and we can fund it.

That's not something we can do.

They do they will have to have lived in their property for at least the the uh most recent most the previous 18 months.

That's that I think there's fear, it's fear to all the homeowners that that's been contributing to the city for the uh all these years and need something done.

Thank you.

I appreciate you and appreciate you taking out the time.

Thank you and thank you for the invitation.

I do appreciate that, Representative Adams.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, rep Adams.

Uh next, I saw Rep Walston.

I'm back.

Um, Moira, I was um wondering, so like with the low-income homeowners, so if their boiler goes out, uh the grant could probably help.

Yes, absolutely.

That's that's that's exactly the type of of uh project we are hoping to target.

Furnace, hot water heaters, um, you know, the the the real quality of life.

I know that that that type of project.

And um could you give me an example of you said um earlier something about if there's blight like on the outside of the house, what does that mean?

So sometimes if a homeowner is missing siding, it gets damaged in a storm, say that could be considered blight.

And one of the things I noticed when I was working in the blight department is a lot of times the city um, you know, a neighbor has a broken window, a hole in their roof, siding that's come off, um, painting that's peeled, and a neighbor complains, and the city goes out as they should, and they the flight officer will cite the homeowner, and there is a uh I believe it's still when I was there, it was a hundred dollars a day.

I know the state has allowed it to go up.

So the homeowner then is getting fined by the city a hundred dollars a day because they have this these issues with their home, and they don't have the money to fund it.

That was a huge problem.

They don't have the money to pay for the repairs.

This way, if a blight condition exists and the blight officer goes out, and instead of saying, Hey, you're now gonna owe us one, two, three, ten thousand dollars, they can say, Hey, you have this problem, and we have a solution for you.

So I'm I'm really hopeful that the blight department could come in and be seen as a um a partner in improving these homeowners' lives instead of a you know a bad guy.

We'll be the good guys instead of the bad guys.

So um when I worked in the blight department, it was something a program I'd hope to get up and running, wasn't able to then now I have an opportunity, and um uh director Cunonas is on board with uh with helping to fund this.

So I think it's I think it'll be a really good use so that that department could be seen as being helpful instead of being you know just punishing the homeowners.

So basically you're this fund could help make their house look aesthetically pleasing.

Well, it's not so much aesthetically, it's not just the aesthetics, it's that you know, these are the you know, we're not just going to do, we're not just going to do a paint job.

But if but if a homeowner has a broken window and they can't re you know, a whole literally they're missing glass, and they can't repair, they cannot afford to pay to put a new window in, we can fund that.

And we can fund it using the blight money is restricted, the blight fund, it can only be used to re to remediate blight, among there's a few other few other things as well.

So this way the money that we've collected in fines over the years can be used if with this program to help the quality of life of the resident.

We can fix a leaky roof using that fund so that this way the CDBG money, which can be used on the inside of the house as well, can go further.

So it was really a way I wanted to expand the pool of funding that we could use under this program.

It'll be it'll come from a different line item in our accounting process because it had fund will have to follow city guidelines as well as the federal guidelines.

So it's a little different that way, but there'll be a little bookkeeping issue.

But it's not really, I wouldn't consider it aesthetics.

Um we're not going to do anything to an outbuilding, we're not going to pick up trash.

You know, this is really um light, that's also a quality of life.

Um, what about disabled um low-income homeowners?

Sometimes they need a ramp.

Maybe sometimes they need uh, I'm just saying uh a little elevator or something on the step or something.

Do you guys that that is exactly what it's intended for?

Um, you know, uh things to help to help somebody who has mobility issues to get around a little better.

Um that's exactly the type of project we're we're hoping to have people apply for.

Excellent, excellent.

Thank you so much, Moore.

You just made my heart jump up too.

Thank you.

So yes, and I'll see you, I guess, at the next meeting, and uh I'm hoping we can talk about this more then at that that board meet at that committee meeting.

Yeah, okay, thank you.

Sure.

Thank you, rep Walliston, for your questions.

Uh Co-Chair Price.

Thanks very much, uh Coachair.

Um just I I have a couple of cynical questions, and I apologize in advance for asking them, but I have to.

Um for the let's use the example uh that that rep Walson just gave about the mobility ram.

Wouldn't with a federal grant like this uh being for 10,000, wouldn't the contractors be inclined to give quotes for 9,999 every single one of them?

Is there any way to monitor that process uh to make sure that we're spending this money as wisely as possible?

Uh we do have I I'm I'm as I said, I'm not a builder, I'm not a contractor.

The homeowner will have to get three bids.

Um, so they will be competing amongst themselves.

Okay.

Um, you know, uh, and those three bids will have to be from this pre-approved list.

Yep.

So it's you know, you can't just have everybody come in.

Um we are going to do our best.

We do have uh somebody in our office who works a lot with other homeowner with other construction projects that we fund.

Um, so he's a good set of eyes on there.

Um we're going to do the best we can.

Um I appreciate yeah.

No, look, I appreciate your candor.

And then the the exact flip side to that scenario is um uh you said that the contractors get paid once the homeowners give approval for the work being done to their satisfaction.

That's pretty subjective.

That makes me a little bit nervous for the contractors.

I I see that I can see that.

You know, I mean the the the homeowner, if the homeowner does not agree with it, I guess we'll go and have to approach that as it as we get to it.

I I don't have an answer for you at this moment.

I I'm sorry to put you on the spot.

That wasn't that wasn't it?

No, it's a great question.

It's a great thing for us to consider.

Thank you very much.

Uh uh Coacher Yuza, I yield.

Thank you, Coachair Price.

Uh I see rep Boudreau with your hand raised.

Hi, yeah.

Um, just a brief question on the income limits that you mentioned.

Uh is that like a hard line where you're one dollar below and you're eligible for full participation and you're one dollar above and you're out, or is there some sort of like uh roll off and benefit eligibility?

No, unfortunately, these are HUD guidelines, and so it goes on the the uh size of the uh the number of occupants in the in the home and the income.

So it's but that's a hard definitive line um that the HUD grant had HUD has.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Rep Boudreau.

Um say okay.

Um I'm gonna go to Rep Politia.

Thank you, Sheridan Hughes.

Um thank you for all the great information they provided.

I just one point of clarity.

Um you did mention that building fees would be forgiven, but there is the assumption that building fees are gonna um permitting fees uh are gonna be forgiven.

Um but there will be permits for the project or no, but I misheared that.

If if it if it's the type of project that would require a permit otherwise, it will still require a permit.

Yes, absolutely.

Okay, but the when we spoke with the building, it didn't make sense for us to take money from one pot to give it to another pot when it we you know it hopefully could fund more.

You know, and these are not big projects, so we're not talking a lot of money in building fees.

I forget what the percentage is, but it's you know, ten thousand dollars is I don't think it's a hundred dollars of building permit fees.

Yeah, and yeah, just kind of um representative price kind of made a good point, you know, just on the quality of the work.

So it is going through our normal, you know, our building permit process, and they're very thorough as well.

So um, no, thank you.

That was it.

Thank you, rep Politia.

Uh Rep Adams.

Yeah, this is my last one.

I mean, I don't know, just to suggest and maybe you guys could do what we did.

Um we gave the contractors um half up front of the the bot to pay for the material and didn't get paid the other half until they had a final inspection that was approved by the home homeowners and what whoever inspector they they choose, and then they got the other half.

So I mean so when you say the inspector they chose, so did they bring in a third party to inspect?

Well, when we did the program, uh we expect the home, we had somebody come from Harvard.

We inspect the homeowner the the work with the homeowner to make it show up to standard.

And once the homeowner agreed that everything was good, then the homeowner hand the final check that they brought down from the state to um the contract at that point.

If if there was any discrepancy, like you don't have enough screws in this wood, uh my post rail is falling off, he would have to correct that before he got the final payment.

Yes, we are not making uh the plan at this point is to not make any payments until the homeowner approves it.

Yeah, that's not even the 50%.

You know, the thought is if if the contractor, you know, hopefully the contractor is established enough that they can swing the funds to to purchase whatever supplies are are necessary.

Um and then as soon as and and once we have the homeowners in our system uh, you know, that they're pre-approved.

We think it should be a relatively short process to process the payment or short window of time in which to process the payment that they will get paid.

Um, but we we we are not going to inspect it, or I'm sorry, we will make sure the work has been done.

We'll go out and we'll say, yes, that is a new spoiler and it's attached to whatever pipes there are, or that is a new window and new door, but we are not going to certify the quality of the work because we cannot as city cannot take on that liability.

Okay.

Uh uh that's fair enough.

And um I I guess um for you person that worked on blight um over the years.

Uh I think at some point we need I guess to readdress that because when we first started blight, it was so small.

Any grass that was over nine inches and um house boarded up and um house not used, water turn off, but now it has become so much as a blown people's side in that somebody can come out and complain on you and you get blighted on a hundred dollars a day for a piece of siding and make you take two or three weeks for a contract to come out and really repeat because the job is so small, and yet you have spend most so much money on the hundred dollars a day that that little 20-minute repair become thousand and thousand a dollar.

So from a different comment, I think at some point we need to go back and revisit because I think it's seven days before we first started, it was 30 days.

It was 30 days.

So I I think collectively we gotta revisit that.

But thank you.

I I do know when when I was in the blight department, we had leeway to work with the homeowners and the blight officer at the time very generous um with the homeowners.

He was he was fully aware uh of those sorts of things, and the goal was to improve the process.

I've been out of that department a few years.

I assume they have the same mindset, but I can't speak to it for sure.

But I yes, I agree.

That was many homeowners, and that's why I tried to include the blight in here.

They cannot afford the repairs, and and you know, they get a lot of them, you know, they're seniors living on a fixed income, and you know, they get a you know what they see as a threat of thousands of dollars in fines for that they just can't afford.

So hopefully we can help them.

Yeah, and it give other people that's trying to squeeze older people out of their house by calling on when the grass is too high, the hedges not cut.

I mean, cut because they don't have the mobility to do that stuff no more, nor do they have the fines because they set on a set income.

I mean, whatever it is, social security and retirement is that's what it is.

If you if you're getting a thousand hour break for your taxes and your taxes is ten, thirteen thousand, nine times out of ten, your social security just about paying that and a little food on the table.

So I think it's something as a board.

Uh we got to revisit.

But um, thank you, and I appreciate you taking out the time um to come in like us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, rep Adams, and thank you, Moira, for coming, and thank you for all that you do for our city and for our residents.

Sure, I'm very glad to be here.

It's it's and and I appreciate the support for this program.

We're very excited about it.

Thank you for joining us.

And so I see uh repinkle.

Uh you're here.

I just want to give you the opportunity uh to vote on item number one, LU 32.004 resolution accepting newly constructed Northridge Road as a city street under code of ordinances 214-32.

Uh rep Finkel, uh, would you like to vote on that item?

Um point of order.

Uh yes.

I'm sorry uh to interrupt chair chair Hughes, but I I don't think once a vote is closed that you're allowed to reopen the vote to have somebody vote.

Okay, I was never seen the I I was under the assumption that the vote wouldn't close until the meeting uh ended, but I'm not fully confident of that.

Um so uh if I've never seen that done.

That's it.

Um maybe rep Adams or one of the other reps that's been around for a long time knows the rule on this, but I've I've I don't believe I've ever seen that done.

So I just wanted to to let you know.

Yeah, the next item on the previous item that we vote on is closer.

Okay, well, uh then never mind, rep Finkel.

Uh that item was uh voted on, it passed uh 7.0.

Um, and now at this time, uh seeing there's no other uh questions for this item two, uh I'd entertain a motion to adjourn.

And appreciate all you guys participating.

Um good discussion.

Thank you, Rep Adams.

The meeting is now adjourned at 7 50 p.m.

Thank you, everybody.

It was a good meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

Thank you.