Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Voucher Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Stearns County HRA asks board for $50,000 levy increase as federal cuts squeeze voucher administration
Summary
The Stearns County Housing and Redevelopment Authority requested a $50,000 increase to its levy, citing reduced HUD administrative fees and rising agency subsidies of the Section 8 voucher program. Commissioners discussed portability, funding uncertainty and local impacts.
The Stearns County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) asked the county board to add $50,000 to its annual levy, bringing the request to $575,000, to offset reductions in HUD administrative fees and growing local subsidies for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.
Neil Fortier, executive director of the Stearns County HRA, told the board the agency subsidized the voucher program by $113,000 in the last fiscal year and $77,000 the year before, and that the HRA currently supports 297 households. Fortier said, “The HRA is asking for a $50,000 increase in our annual levy,” and explained the request is a response to changes at HUD that have reduced administrative fees nationwide.
Fortier also described the HRA’s application to Minnesota Housing for a state-funded voucher program the legislature approved for two years. Stearns sought 100 state vouchers and was awarded 69; the new program is non‑portable (usable only within Stearns County, except for St. Cloud) and is budgeted for two years. Fortier said the state vouchers “are non portable” and that they “are done” after two years unless additional funding is provided. He estimated that the average levy dollars per household in fiscal year 2024 were about $17.44 and that the requested increase would raise that figure to $19.63 per household.
Board members asked how portability works and how the HRA and other agencies handle vouchers that move across jurisdictions. Fortier explained that HUD vouchers generally become portable after 12 months, allowing households to move and have a receiving agency either absorb the voucher or leave it funded from the original pool. Fortier said most receiving agencies now absorb incoming vouchers, which he said frees up local capacity.
Commissioners noted the levy increase comes amid other local levy pressures. One commissioner said he supported the HRA request but raised concerns about cumulative tax burdens on residents and urged public awareness of combined levies and taxes.
A motion to accept the HRA’s 2025 levy request carried; the board approved the $50,000 increase. Commissioners asked for the HRA’s line‑item budget and more detail on how levy funds are used.
