Housing Commission

2/24/2020 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Robert Millar, Anna Wageling, Jessica Bridge City Staff Present: Heather Carrington Guests Present: Councilor Jim Duncan Call to Order by: Robert Millar Meeting Start Time: 6:06 pm Minutes Recorded by: Anna Wageling II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Tabled due to lack of quorum of members present for previous meeting IV. Department and City Updates Heather updated the Commission on the City being awarded the Working Communities Challenge Planning Grant and the release of an RFP for an Historic Resource Inventory and Preservation Bylaw. V. Review/Discuss Additional Housing Data Requested at January Meeting City Staff analyzed data on recent home sales, cost burdens for owners and renters, income distributions, building permits and code violations. Based on this analysis, there are no additional signs of gentrification, and the data suggest that Winooski is providing a mix of housing that is relatively affordable for owners and renters compared to the rest of Chittenden County, with median 2018 home prices and median 2018 rental prices below the county average. The Commission took a dive into information about code violations in rental properties using data collected by Winooski’s Code Enforcement Department. The department tracks health and safety compliance such as having functioning fire alarms and multiple exits from a building. The highest number of violations were for lead paint, and the Commission asked staff to look into policy options for addressing risks such as these using tools like the Housing Trust Fund. In addition, the commission discussed the low number of renter complaints in 2018 and whether the City could play a role in ensuring renters feel secure in advocating for fixes to health and safety issues. This topic will be revisited at the next Commission meeting, when Fire Chief John Audy may be able to visit to discuss these data further. VI. Discuss Housing Update for City Council Staff discussed the upcoming Housing Goal Update for City Council, and asked the Commissioners whether a representative wants to be present for the Council meeting. No other commissions send a representative every time there is a goal update, so staff looked to the Commission to decide whether or not to attend. Robert volunteered to be present for the update if available. VII. Adjourn Motion by: Jessica Second: Anna Meeting End Time: 7:04 pm