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Housing budget: $14.6M shown, but $6.5M actually available for FY26; council debates process for social action/arts allocations
Summary
City staff detailed housing fund components — $14.6 million on paper but roughly $6.5 million available for new FY2026 programming — and described how social action and arts funding will be allocated and moved into departmental portfolios for accountability.
City staff presented the proposed housing budget during the FY2026 second public hearing and explained how headline figures differ from funds actually available for new programming.
Abby Feeley, administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity, said the budget shows $14.6 million in general funds for housing but clarified that $2 million has already been appropriated for hurricane recovery and roughly $3.8 million is pending or planned, while $4.3 million is currently encumbered. That leaves about $6.5 million available to program in FY2026, Feeley said.
Feeley outlined typical uses for the Housing Partnership Fund (HPF): rental and move‑in assistance, down‑payment assistance (including stacking with Community Redevelopment Agency funds for higher combined assistance), owner‑occupied rehabilitation and discretionary strategic partnerships. She told council staff sometimes “stack” HPF and CRA funds to produce larger down‑payment packages when eligible.
Separately, John Bennett, the mayor’s chief of staff, described the administration’s approach to the social action and arts fund requests. He told council staff had reorganized requests into portfolios (arts & culture, workforce development and similar categories) and that roughly $1.0–$1.2 million is currently targeted for social action and arts in the FY2026 plan. Bennett described a process in which awards under $25,000 can be executed without a full council agreement (per the city code), but items above that threshold will continue to require further vetting and, when required, council approval.
Council members urged more structure and an early workshop to set objectives and metrics for the social action funding so awards align to council priorities. Staff said they will bring more detailed paperwork on the city’s accountability processes (agreements, monitoring and reporting) ahead of a planned workshop.
Feeley and other staff also briefed council on several housing program estimates planned for FY2026 (HPF funds only): about $3.0 million for rental/move‑in assistance (RMAP), roughly $1.05 million for homeowner repair/rehab, $1.25 million for down‑payment assistance (approximate average award $42,000), and about $1.0 million in discretionary funding for strategic projects. When combined with federal, state and CRA funds, staff said the total housing funding pipeline is about $54 million across sources.
