And Andrea IP are all president.

The others are excused good morning.

So therefore we have a note that proof of notice is uh included on the back side of your front page or a double sided or the second billet.

But two sets of minutes.

We have the June 23rd, 2025 board meeting minutes.

So I will uh take a motion to approve those minutes.

Those aren't ready for this.

Huh.

Well that's take that off the agenda.

So moving on, we've got uh let's see.

Should I double check before I speak now?

Uh minutes from July 10, 2025.

I will understand a motion to approve those minutes.

So move.

Second.

Any discussion.

All in favor.

Aye.

New minutes for the July 10th, 2025 governance committee are next up.

We've got new business.

It's like a couple of resolutions.

So we're just gonna talk through those.

So the first item uh number four is a uh resolution to enter into agreement with the Syracuse Urban Renewal Agency for the administration of the block challenge grant program.

Uh so this uh the terms that are uh within here kind of speak specifically to the tiers of programming that we have adopted so far, um specific to the block challenge grant.

Um, I expect that we would look to um and I would kind of defer to Meg to weigh in on this, but either amend the agreement or implement kind of a secondary agreement um under the umbrella of the total 2.5 million dollar funding.

Um the reason for that being just that they're uh within the bounds of kind of server requirements, um there's something that we will need to require um uh in once we get to the point of having some uh more significant homeowner renovation programs um that uh will need to all be spelled out kind of within a in a given agreement, and so rather than um understanding kind of our timeline that we're working on, rather than trying to have that all fully baked out in the context of a singular agreement.

Um we've set this up in such a way where it's specific to kind of what we have adopted so far.

Um, I think there's probably uh could be a little bit of flexibility there if the board felt like there was things that they wanted to see done differently.

Um sorry, hi everybody, in case um I haven't met you, my name is Matt Ryan, I'm a senior corporation counsel, and I also am um counsel to the SERP super renewal agency, so I'm here in that capacity.

Um so uh are you talking about in terms of like the whole contracting shell?

Yes, because that's very much a draft.

Um it still needs to be council.

Um so the way that SER typically would do it is just to um approve because SIR will be um taking this up right after this meeting, and would approve an agreement subject to um additional terms um approved by service council.

Um I'm not sure how uh if that's something that would also be similar to the housing strategies corporation, but that is how sir would do it.

So there is some flexibility as terms because we're still working out the um the terms because this is a very different type of agreement, and so um it's gonna need some flashing out, which yeah, I want to make sure we have the ability to do so.

In terms of why it's I've I've kind of drafted it, so it's geared towards just this tier one or the block and the um the housing strategies corporation will be doing other activities beyond that.

Um, but since that's what's fleshed out, and Surah since it is the funds are are flowing through SERA, it Sarah needs to have some oversight, um, making sure that the activities that the funds would be used for are um in alignment with the new urban renewal, the second urban renewal plan.

Um so that's why so this right to me is if we were using full 2.5 million for the block grant challenge program, and that's made okay, and then that's that's good feedback, and I can make adjustments to reflect that because in the SORA resolution um that I've drafted for the board to consider it it would be subject to any amendments um approved by both both bodies.

Um so that's kind of what I was getting at because like at the point that we fully finalize kind of what the eligibility criteria would be for a homeowner renovation grant, then we would look to amend this agreement so that that is kind of baked in to this.

Every time we want a new program, we have to go back to Surah and ask their permission.

And so I think understanding the relative of the boards that we need to convene.

I think we're uh while we would want to minimize doing that.

I think we can easily enough plan for uh to accommodate timelines as such as we need to to schedule those meetings.

So we're gonna see it again after the SURA board makes changes.

So at the point you would see it again at the point that we would have finalized terms that we would want to implement for our homeowner renovation programming, kind of above and beyond this initial um block challenge program.

Uh those terms, then we would kind of those would come back to the housing strategies corporation board and then Sura would uh both Surah and the Housing Strategies Corporation Board would uh again review to confirm that they wanted those terms to be a part of this agreement.

But it sounded like there would be further amendments to this council before this is signed.

Yes, so that would be you know that could certainly be I can leave that up to Michelle um how that would be handled here.

Um mayor walsh is a signatory for um SURA, so you know he would be for evening it from SERA's perspective as well.

Um, but so if you wanted to circulate it as we flash it out a little bit more.

Sorry, and just for clarification's sake, are we using council in the context of the common council or council as a legal counsel?

Legal council, right?

Thank you.

Yes.

But also Surah members are in the houses right.

Correct, yes.

So I think that's amendments might be needed.

Speak now over oh I mean Mike, you're not the board.

Of the housing strategies corporations.

Okay, you're not so but you're here.

So who's reviewing it as our legal counsel?

So Meg has prepared it for legal counsel for housing strategies corporation.

Gene Everett also reviewed this agreement, yes.

Well, it would be nice if we could talk to Jane to get her feedback on some of this and to give her some of our feedback on this.

Um this says that we have to follow Surah's account policy, not our own, but it's not attached.

Can we get a copy of that?

Oh, of course.

Yeah, it says that any subcontractors we hire have to be approved by Surah.

So I guess maybe you guys can add that to your 1030 agenda to approve the next agreement that we're gonna enter into with one headquarters.

Yeah, we can um check.

I would note that SIRA's procurement policy.

Um, the housing directories corporations was weird based off of that.

So again, lots of similarities.

It says here that we can only use the financial assistance as described, only for those purposes permitted by the act, but I'm guessing that's the urban renewal act.

That's correct.

Do we know what it should be defined?

R permitted.

Oh, it's not defined.

I'm sorry, to be clear in the agreement button in um the general municipal law.

So I'll provide that language.

It's yeah it's pretty helpful to kind of say yeah, this is our menu of options basically.

Is there anything in here about when Sura is going to cover the check?

I don't see anything about the disbursement of bonds.

Um I don't believe so because that was something that I needed some clarity on as well.

So that's something that we can um to answer on as well.

We also changed the number of the teams to three or more on page three number three.

Oh correct, yes.

Um I guess I'm hoping that under number five here where it says we can use up 10% written administrative costs.

I'm hoping it'll be permissible for us to pay for attorneys and accountants and insurance policies, but you'll have to verify that.

I mean, obviously, we need to enter into this so that we can keep going and get things done, but this kind of does it was question gnawing at the back of my mind about is this really the right corporate vehicle to do this work if we're having to create these cumbersome processes.

I mean, I think it's it's uh it's just the nature of using municipal funds for this type of purpose, it's it's certainly ideal, but it's the way that it could be legally compliant.

But yeah, questions when we get to the point where we have the state money comes with a lot of rules also.

I think we won't need Sura as the it's it's always the case.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I think that when we were looking at it um initially we always look at our exists so as to create another vote.

Sura was inherently restrictive in a way that it limited our ability to do everything that we that we wanted to do.

And so we felt what is appropriate to create the um strategies corporation button again on specific to municipal funds, it's just ironically uh required us to break certificate by not on the topic of legal council review.

Have we issued an RP for the housing strategies corporation higher its own legal council?

Yep.

Yeah, the RP has been um finalized and um we put it out.

It's not high.

Okay, it will be going out imminently.

So it is all of the languages ready to go or worked with uh for camera office just compared to people to make sure it goes out here.

But I think what we have council, I guess we need to answer some of these plugins and right.

Um, and that's I think part of the reason for us doing the RMP.

Uh obviously I think Gene has a lot of background and experience uh specific to local development corporations and uh generally within the realm of housing, but just from um ability to have people that are uh here in person.

This uh kind of reminds me of the early days of the land bank field when you're trying to stand up a new corporation and you're lying on the city and existing resources, and so we are we're at that early startup phase where it's uh bunkier than we would like these be, but they will have our own cables right how so both handled it's gonna be great concerns the other questions.

So how do we make sure that all of the questions and concerns are properly addressed within the resolution or the most scaling uh in final form approved by the National Fair Incorporations Legal Council and Sorrow Sable Council?

That's fine.

Yes, because that's what sorry what you have to think.

Sounds like a little thing on page three number five.

Yeah, it says it's city will be sued for indirect.

I mean, I'm assuming it means use two other screen.

That's a good one.

So Ken, are you comfortable making that question?

Yes, okay.

Second to that motion.

Yes.

Any further discussion.

All in favor.

Aye.

Opposed, carrying.

Okay, good.

Um that's the resolution.

Uh the next resolution is to uh waive the RFP process to enter into an agreement with home headquarters for administration of the block challenge grant program.

Uh so this effectively calls out some uh specific terms of what that program would be based on what the uh housing strategies corporation board has previously approved for block challenge programmatic eligibility.

Um it is tied to the um full amount that has been authorized for the block challenge program within this fiscal year for the organization, so a little over 70,000 allows for a 10% um administrative fee to go to home headquarters um uh of that total amount for their office contributions and admin support.

Um so the length of the agreement is basically until um that amount that has been authorized is fully went down uh or would otherwise be amended.

So uh in the event that uh we have a huge uptick in uh applications above and beyond what we uh anticipated uh for early phases, and obviously we would uh not only need to amend budget, but um to possibly amend kind of the scope of this agreement.

But um again, with some of our uh as we have discussed, kind of the the purpose of this is just allowing us to um be able to get programming launched this year, um uh kind of a strike of balance between having our staff get uh get used to kind of systems of processing and the intake flow of things, our staff within MVD will be kind of handling all the front end um interfacing with applicants.

So um up to the point of kind of full approval, we won't have to worry about home headquarters needing to do any additional kind of qualifications there.

Um but then at the point that uh project has been completed, ready for reimbursement, we will um make that connection to headquarters staff, uh, and then they would be the entity that is kind of cutting those checks.

So home ed cores will cut the check too.

Correct.

Do we anticipate releasing publicly where what area in those specific neighborhoods we're going to concentrate on?

Yeah, and so the um maps we will have all of that out with um uh all of our application materials, but um we're planning to open up the program to the entire scope of the neighborhoods for this block challenge program.

So if you can meet the term of having at least three people that you can visually see within a line of sight, uh any of the the properties that are in the given neighborhood uh can be eligible.

Um I do anticipate that when we get to the point of doing the larger homeowner renovation programs, that's where we'll have some tighter geographies.

Um so we won't necessarily put those out to the full neighborhoods um all at once.

Um when you say the whole neighborhood, tip millen's also practice.

Correct.

Yes.

Yeah, so there was all four.

Yeah.

Um can you just remind me how we I know you mentioned the um the fiscal year, but how we settled out in 7400.

Uh that's 10% of the 70,000.

I think we when we adjusted uh the math, I think there was some discussion at the uh June board meeting that's right that we wanted to bump those dollars up.

So and I think we can obviously kind of continue to fine-tune that based on what we see from uh um participation rate.

Um, I think some of the numbers that we were estimating based on what CCB has seen and other communities that have done this, uh, there's very few instances in which people are actually going up to the full 2500 dollars on average, it's closer to about 500 um that uh would be being matched for a given project.

So if a homeowner is spending a thousand 500 is coming from uh housing trackers corporation and other 500 from the homeowner.

Are we reimbursing the home headquarters after you've put a check to the homeowners or are we advancing?

We're helping advancing, yeah.

Yeah, so I think we we would want to kind of that's I think a conversation with uh Commissioner McKenazera just from uh his capacity is the um chief financial officer for the housing strategies corporation.

Um, what is the best way that we can kind of go about that?

But we talked about it in rooms or trunks.

Yes, I hate that word, but you know, some reason why we couldn't if they've said well that not that I would say I think it's just kind of the again immediate timing of this.

Um it's just a question of kind of how quickly can we number one get this authorized and then just get a check cut.

But in the grand scheme of uh total contracts that we have or that the city uh and its municipal corporations has in place to have borders for various housing programming, obviously 70,000 comparatively.

We can for the period of time that we're working with, we can make it work.

Other questions staff or loud and clear from the board last meeting with get movement.

So that's the idea.

So it's a NH.

Yep.

50-50 match um how we assert that they uh everything will need to be based off of documented.

Um, I think so we would consider things that you might need as like a supply related to doing the project, um, that that all can be a documented expense that we would allow.

But um I think in that way it does uh save a lot of risk for the organization.

It's not like we're putting money out directly to homeowners before products are actually getting completed.

So we all get a list of approved contractors, we're gonna have to we will put out a list of contractors um of the cities, uh anyone that is on within kind of the the city registers for contractors again.

If there's uh a scope of work um that someone is taking on that requires uh a license to do that work, um we will make sure that all of those are in place, but we are not mandating that uh specific contractors be used.

Um again, I think something can hire the wrong goals.

They could hire their uncle, they could hire themselves, but uh again, kind of the um we will only be able to um uh reimburse for documented expenses.

So um if there's invoices and things that we could act to that and it all seems reasonable, then great.

Um I we expect that a lot of this scope of work is frankly going to be quite a bit of homeowners doing things themselves.

The homeowners not receiving funds themselves for their work, their time correctly questions.

Remember it?

Great.

Any further discussion?

Questions all in favor?

Post carrying okay, that's exciting.

Um yeah, so let's talk about uh other business, other updates, general liability insurance, program launch, challenge.

Yep, um liability insurance.

So this is one of the uh kind of main things that we needed to make sure that we had fully locked in before we start doing programming.

Uh we got the attached quote that it was included in your checkets.

Um we're including it here more just for kind of FYI to everyone, I think based on the terms of the uh organization's procurement policy.

It doesn't require any um uh board approval uh or anything, but uh just wanted to flag it in here if there was anything that uh anyone saw that would like us to evaluate differently, let us know.

Um I did uh Caitlin did uh prior to this, and uh it is comparable based on kind of what it seems like we've got in place for our other municipal corporations.

So yeah, so uh we probably can't find coverage on this or DNO until we can check right um 30 days from the uh point that we would enter into an agreement.

So I think if as long as you're thinking that we're we're there, then I think we would we would move to get those in place and the understanding that we'll be able to check in their case.

Yep.

Great.

Um as far as uh program launch, uh we are still moving to try to hit the August 15th uh timeline uh for being able to open applications.

Um we've got a couple uh neighbor events that there's a big um community yard sale, I think that's happening in uh Salt Rings neighborhood this weekend, and there's some people opportunities, so we will be uh presenting.

We can request uh it's this weekend.

So we'll be there um tabling, um, just making sure that people uh know that applications will be coming up, um, give people a little bit of additional time to kind of think about applications that they might be submitting.

Um as far as kind of timing of things, I do think that understanding that we're at the August 15th timeline, um, we may need to kind of make some blanket adjustments that for the first applications that we're taking in, we will give people a grace period obviously 90 days from August 15th.

You got to be pretty tight on your your turnaround time to be able to get those completed.

Um, I do think that it's possible that some neighbors will have projects that they get fully um done this year, but um do you want to make sure that we give people the opportunity for participation?

Um, we don't want to discourage applications that are coming in at this point.

Would you allow reimbursement of what they did in March?

So that's I think a question for the board.

That's something that has come.

Um I think the idea, what we do want to try to retain a little bit of control on is making sure that the scope of work, um, that it's new work.

I guess um my inclination is that just from kind of a program implementation standpoint, the easier way to go about that is to say no, it needs to be new work moving forward that you would match.

Um but I think if the board felt strongly that we wanted to make some type of accommodation for that.

We could figure out a way to make it work.

Yeah, no, we don't like the public once we won't go back.

Yeah, but so um just expensive, yeah.

So yeah, I think the idea would be kind of new work above and beyond what you've done.

Um would like to see people kind of continue to build off of things, but so uh get a whole something would be called room shell home.

Yeah, I think um referring people to get a lot of phone calls.

We're gonna get a lot of phone calls.

So um, I think the intake process it's gonna be a uh combination between me, Camon, Hannah, um, and then we'll also have people working with um their designated neighborhood planners that are in those areas.

of things but so uh so get a whole something would be called we shall hold yeah I think um referring people we're gonna get a lot of phone calls so um I think the intake process it's gonna be a uh combination between me Kamo and Hannah um and then we'll also have people working with um their designated neighborhood planners that are in those areas um but we uh do want to make sure that we're being really attentive to not routing people around and kind of giving them the I gotta go talk to this person this person this person like our permanent system oh we can get better to go just through the person uh I I've snapshot it as we're kind of rolling some some stuff out I think we'll have a little bit of uh uh your assigned case manager that you get whether that is you know it'll be one of five people that are in office basically so if we could get a list for the council yeah absolutely yeah and we'll have it together for residents obviously uh we've been working with our um public information officer for neighborhood and business development to build out website content and um get ready for press releases and all that sounds good just let us know when you send you a press release we'll do any other questions concerns just to um just a I guess a appreciation um watching the Salt Springs neighborhood really organize around this is really gratifying and I know looking back on Syracuse neighborhood initiative that was probably the most significant legacy of that mission it was how the neighborhoods organized typical association being a great example so seeing that uh unfold and new neighborhoods like Salt Springs is just gonna it's a really really positive sign okay um all right I will entertain motion to adjourn so second all in favor uh meeting is adjourned it is upstairs what's that right now did you say in 30 minutes no i don't know yes it is upstairs right I just got picture yes right now so we're gonna put chambers yeah yes are you running up here teleconferences or meeting circuit I don't know what we have capabilities upstairs because I don't know if something happened I don't know if she's gonna find it all