Austin Housing Finance Corporation Meeting Transcript – 09/01/2016 Title: ATXN 24/7 Recording Channel: 6 - ATXN Recorded On: 9/1/2016 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 9/1/2016 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ============================ [4:03 PM] I'm going to recess the city council meeting and convene the meeting of the Austin housing finance corporation. In that regard today is September 1st, 2016. [4:03:50 PM] It is 4:00 P.M. Do you want to walk us through our agenda? >> Sure. David potter with Austin housing finance corporation. We have one item that is to conduct a public hearing, that's item number 3. Items 1, 2, 4 and 5 are housekeeping items related to appointments to the corporation. So you may want to take up the minutes of last time's meeting from August 4th. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approve the minutes? Mr. Renteria moves. Ms. Pool seconds. Those in favor please raise your hand. Those pass with Ms. Troxclair off the dais. >> Thank you. And next we have an item to appoint Rosie truelove to my left as treasurer of Austin housing finance corporation. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to make that appointment? Mayor pro tem makes it. Ms. Houston seconds it. Discussion? All those in favor please raise your hand? Those opposed? Unanimous on the dais with Ms. Troxclair off. >> Thank you. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Congratulations, you're drafted. >> And item 3 is to conduct a public hearing regarding the issuance of up to $20 million of multi-family housing revenue bonds to be issued by the Austin housing finance corporation to provide financing for proposed affordable senior housing development by villages at fiskville lt or an affiliated entity located at 10,017 middle fiskville road. Aside from the public hearing, if there are any technical questions on private activity bonds, we have bond counsel here. If there are any questions about the project we do have the developer here as well. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Is Joe Langley here? [4:05:55 PM] Mr. Languagery is not here. Is there a motion to close the public hearing? Mayor pro tem moves. Is there a second? Mr. Renteria. Those in favor of closing the public hearing please raise your hand. Those opposed? It's unanimous with Ms. Troxclair off the dais. The public hearing is closed. Does anybody want to ask any questions? About the bonding program? Yes, mayor pro tem. >> Tovo:,I was just going to movepproval. >> Mayor Adler: Is there an action item associated with this? >> It just is to conduct a public hearing. That's it. >> Mayor Adler: I think it's just a public hearing. Okay. Is Gus Pena here or Joe Langley? Okay. They were the speakers on number 2. I was going to give them a chance to speak. They're not here. That gets us to the next item, item number 4. >> The next item is to appoint Rosie true love to the board of directors of several foundations. >> Is there a motion? >> Is there a second? Mr. Renteria. Ms. Houston? >> Who is qualified to be on the board of directors? >> For these particular deals the -- customarily it has been the assistant city manager that neighbor housing reports to. The director of neighbor housing. And the assistant director. It's qualification based on their position. Like for example, the director of neighbor housing being the treasurer of the housing finance corporation, customarily. [4:07:57 PM] >> Houston: Is that written in code or law someplace because that's a pretty narrow group of people making those decisions? I'm just asking. I see -- >> I wish I had an answer. Thank you. >> Good afternoon. David suralda with the law department. I'm looking at the bylaws for one of the corporations involved and I'm confident that the same wording is used for both, but it basically states that to qualify and to serve as a director a person must be an employee of ahfc or of the city and be at least 18 years of age. Thank you. So we could have other people on the board of directors other than the people directly. >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Houston: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Along those same lines, were there a pool of candidates to choose from and some criteria that said who was better qualified? >> These appointments are made by the Austin housing finance corporation. >> Zimmerman: Those are people who make it, not an amorphous corporation. There are people that do that, right? >> Yes. >> Zimmerman: So who are those? Could I ask what these people are and what the criteria are and if there were candidates considered or was it kind of an acclamation, here is the person we want, rubber stamp approved. >> Mayor,bert Lumbreras, assistant city manager. As the mayor just noted, this is primarily how the officers are brought before the city council. If the city council wants the staff to look at a different process and bring you something else for your consideration you are certainly welcome to do that. I think the qualifications you heard were very clear in terms of an employee and meeting a certain age requirement. These are employees that are accountable not only to the city, but to the corporation as a whole. [4:10:00 PM] And each one of us take our role and responsibility to that degree of making sure that we're doing what is in good faith. And at the end of the day anything we do obviously has to come before this body as a board and this board certainly ultimately has a consideration just like you would as a city council body to take anything under our representation and make a recommendation accordingly. So it's really up to count, but I think this is what is before you and we're certainly open to looking at a different process if you so chose. >> Zimmerman: Thank you. Fair enough. I want to open it up to my council colleagues. Does anybody here have any idea what we're voting on or what this process is or how these people are or how they're picked? Does anybody on the dais know anything about it because I don't? >> Houston: Mayor, I know who the people are, but I would entertain at some point a consideration of being able to broaden that group of people who are always appointed to the same thing. I think it's important when we talk about transparency and inclusiveness to be able to have more than the same people serve on the same committee. And sometimes there may be a differing opinion. I'm not willing to do that today, but I would be willing to have that conversation about how wick get some other city employees on who have information about housing that would be able to make sure that we're not being narrowly focused. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Is there a motion to approve these appointments, number 4? Ms. Pool, seconded by Mr. Renteria. Those in favor of the appointments raise your hand? Those opposed? >> Zimmerman: Abstaining. >> Mayor Adler: Preliminary abstains, Ms. Troxclair off the dais. The others votingee aye. >> Item number 5 is essentially the same thing, however it's reappointing Mr. Lumbreras, Ms. Rebecca giallo and Ms. Truelove to the directors of the harbors of creek side corporation, the Austin inner city redevelopment corporation, the villas on sixth non-profit corporation and the ahfc village on little Texas non-profit corporation for terms expiring on July 31st, 2019. [4:12:14 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion? Mr. Renteria so moves. Seconded by Ms. Pool. Any further conversation? Those in favor please those opposed? Mr. Zimmerman abstains, Ms. Troxclair off the dais. The others voting aye. That concludes our business of the Austin housing finance corporation. Thank you very much the the meeting stands adjourned.