COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON FINANCE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, June 12, 2008 9:50 a.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO, CHAIR COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN WILLIAM GREENLEE COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL BILL 080500 - An ordinance authorizing the Director of Housing, on behalf of the City, to file applications with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for a Community Development Block Grant... - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
Good morning. The Committee on Finance is called to order. We're reassembling here today from a recessed hearing from June 2nd until today to hear Bill 080500, and we'll ask the Clerk to read the bill.
Authorizing the Director of Housing, on behalf of the City, to file applications with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for a Community Development Block Grant; to participate in the HOME Investment Partnership program and the Emergency Shelter Grant program; and for a Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS grant; with the Commonwealth to obtain grants under the Act of April 12, 1956, Public Law 1449, Section 4, as amended, to prevent and eliminate blight; authorizing the Director of Housing and Director of Commerce to obtain other grants from the Commonwealth; authorizing the Director of Commerce to use the Section 108 Loan 3 6/12/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080500 Guarantee Program; and authorizing the Director of Housing and the Director of Commerce to enter into all understandings and assurances contained in such applications and take all necessary action to accept the grants, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you very much. Please let me note that there is a quorum in the presence of Councilman Goode, Councilman Greenlee, Councilman Kenney, Councilman DiCicco, Councilman O'Neill and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. The Chair calls on Deborah McColloch, please, to come forward. (Witness approached witness table.) MS. McCOLLOCH: Good morning.
Good morning. MS. McCOLLOCH: My name is Deborah McColloch. I'm the Acting 4 6/12/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080500 Director of the Office of Housing and Community Development. At our meeting last week, there were some questions raised by the Committee about the Mini-PHIL program and the PHIL-Plus program. Both programs are supported with NTI bond proceeds and administered by the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, GPUAC. Based upon conversations with them and Councilwoman Tasco in the last week, OHCD agrees to review the Mini-PHIL and PHIL-Plus Loan programs throughout this coming year. We will work with GPUAC in particular and the housing counseling agencies to try to increase loan production under that program, to try to decrease the denial rate and try to improve the processing time. We have supported that program and we will continue to support that program. We just want to work with GPUAC to try to improve the program. During the same period, we will 5 6/12/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080500 review the production under the new program that we're working with PHFA on called Renovate and Repair, and that's being supported with PHFA funds and $500,000 of NTI bond proceeds moving forward. It's our intention a year from now, working with both PHFA and GPUAC, to review those programs, work with both agencies, compare those programs and decide how we want to move forward, do we want to have two different loan programs, do we want to try to combine them, what are we going to do a year from now. During this year, we'll work with both to try to improve them and move them forward. During this time, we will continue to support the administrative costs of GPUAC to carry out that program. So with these changes, I'm hoping that the Committee can approve the Consolidated Plan that was presented last week and recommend it, with suspension of the rules. 6 6/12/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080500
Thank you very much. Are there any questions from the Committee? (No response.)
There being none, thank you very much. We will go from our public hearing to our public meeting. The Chair calls on Councilwoman Blackwell to report the bill out with a suspension.
Thank you, Madam Chairman. I move that this bill be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation, also a recommendation for a suspension of the rules so as to permit first reading at our next session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill 080500 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the 7 6/12/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080500 rules of Council be suspended so that this bill can have a first reading at Council's next session. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
There being none, this bill is passed. Thank you. The meeting is adjourned. (Committee on Finance adjourned at 9:55 a.m.) - - - 8 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on June 12, 2008, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)