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Tompkins County approves $570,000 IDA contribution to Community Housing Development Fund; committee funds multiple local projects
Summary
The legislature approved distribution of community housing development funds on Sept. 16 after the program oversight committee recommended awards; county program income and new IDA contributions expanded available funds this year.
The Tompkins County Legislature voted on Sept. 16 to authorize disbursement of Community Housing Development Fund awards supported by county program income and new Industrial Development Agency contributions.
Why it matters: The Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF) supports local affordable-housing projects. At the Sept. 16 meeting staff explained the fund this year had an unusually large balance because of program income from past federal grants and a new contribution from an IDA housing policy tied to recent development projects.
David West, senior housing planner for Tompkins County, summarized the funding sources: “The funds that the county puts in is what's called program income from previous grants that we got... So it's not coming out of the county budget or, county taxes. It's funds that we granted out and received back that were originally federal,” he said. West said the IDA contribution increased available funding to more than $3 million for this round, allowing the committee to fund the projects recommended by the program oversight committee at the requested amounts.
The legislature approved the resolution on the consent calendar. County staff described the application and review process: applicants respond to an annual call; technical review is performed by an application review committee; allocations are approved by the program oversight committee that includes representatives of contributing partners. Projects in the current round included requests from neighborhood housing organizations and municipal partners; staff reported that some IDA funds remain available for future rounds through 2027.
Taper: The action releases funds recommended by the oversight committee; specific project award letters and grant agreements will be handled administratively.
