Committee Meeting Information

October 18, 2006

Conference Call

 

 

Committee Members Present

Representative Thomas A. Lockhart, Chairman

Senator Charles Townsend

Senator Bill Vasey

Representative Debbie Hammons

Representative Doug Samuelson

 

 

Other Legislators Present

Senator John Schiffer

 

 

Legislative Service Office Staff

Dave Gruver, Assistant Director

Don Richards, Senior Research Analyst

Matt Obrecht, Staff Attorney

 

 

Others Present

Tucker Fagan, Wyoming Business Council

Shawn Reese, Wyoming Business Council

Rob Black, Governor's Office

 

                                                                       

 

 

Call To Order

Chairman Lockhart called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. 

 

Discussion from Subcommittee

 

Chairman Lockhart identified ten areas of interest for the Subcommittee to focus their discussion on.

 

LSO staff summarized background information previously provided on WCDA's bonding capacity, its outstanding debt and the forms of bonds available under the WCDA's bonding authority, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Federal HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), and the various programs available for housing projects under the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program.  (See Appendices 1 & 2).  LSO staff then summarized previously provided information on the possible constitutional restraints placed on any workforce housing program and discussed the possibilities available under a community land trust system to increase the availability of workforce housing.  (See Appendix 3).

 

The Subcommittee discussed the availability of Amendment IV funds for workforce housing infrastructure.  LSO staff reported additional Amendment IV funding could be authorized by a two-thirds vote of each House and that the total amount of Amendment IV funding is capped at one percent (1%) of the State's assessed valuation (currently approximately $20 billion).

 

Senator Schiffer presented information regarding the WCDA using bonding capacity to provide a loan guarantee under federal law (Section 108 guarantees).  He stated that this is reportedly the first use of funds for these purposes and that this use did not require additional legislation; however, it might be helpful to have informal encouragement from individual legislators for WCDA to approve loans under the Section 108 Guaranteed Loan Program and expand efforts to increase statewide awareness of this program.

 

The Subcommittee discussed the possibility of  preparing two bills: one to deal with the community land trusts and the other to deal with allocation of funds to the Wyoming Business Council to provide local governments with housing infrastructure grants and loans, as well as providing funding through special improvement districts .  The Subcommittee decided to move forward with one bill, encompassing the following aspects of workforce housing issues:

 

1. Authorizing community land trusts to be administered by a local government with restrictions such as requiring a mixed housing community; 

 

2. Include within the land trust provisions a provision for special improvement districts;

 

3. Provide state funding for infrastructure and the community land trusts, along the lines suggested by Tucker Fagan in item #2 of an e-mail provided earlier to the Subcommittee. (See Appendix 4).  In the bill state funds should be available to communities statewide, not just for impacted communities.  Funds should be directed through the Wyoming Business Council with filtering through the State Loan and Investment Board.

 

Following earlier Subcommittee discussion, LSO staff inquired as to whether there should be provisions for Amendment IV funding in the bill, noting those funds are not subject to the same constitutional restrictions as general funds.  The Subcommittee did not request inclusion of such a provision.

 

Chairman Lockhart instructed LSO staff to draft legislation on the issues discussed.  Staff stated that a draft should be completed by October 31.

 

Chairman Lockhart tentatively scheduled another meeting of the Subcommittee by conference call for November 20, 2006.

 

Meeting Adjournment

 

There being no further business, Chairman Lockhart adjourned the meeting at 11:35 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Thomas Lockhart, Chairman