Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ura Project Updates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
URA updates: website redo, deadlines for unspent HUD dollars, fire station projects and landlord outreach
Summary
URA staff outlined a series of operational and capital updates — including a website overhaul, urgent steps to obligate roughly $311,000 in older HUD funds, planned firehouse repairs, a Wartburg conversion proposal and a landlord outreach effort.
URA staff provided a status update on multiple projects and program constraints during the special meeting.
Website and operations: The URA administrator said the agency is redesigning its web pages to simplify navigation and make program information more accessible; staff expect a site update within about two months and will link URA content to the main city website.
Unspent HUD allocations and timeliness risk: Staff said $311,000 in 2017 HOME/CDBG‑era funds remain unspent and must be obligated quickly to avoid timeliness penalties or HUD recapture. The URA is negotiating with a project applicant that requested $600,000 and is evaluating whether multi‑year allocations can be combined to create a viable project funding package.
Wartburg rehabilitation: One project under negotiation would convert the Wartburg property from a rehabilitation facility to apartments; staff said the URA may use 2017 and 2018 funds as part of a package if timelines and procurement steps can be met.
Fire stations, procurement and environmental review: To meet timeliness and spending goals the URA is prioritizing smaller, manageable infrastructure projects that its Department of Public Works can deliver, including driveway work and a planned roofing/pointing project at Fire Station 3. Staff reported engineering and environmental reviews are completed for a suite of firehouse projects and procurement is the next step.
Parking structure and other capital work: The agency noted a separate parking structure has an emergent problem requiring attention; staff said next-year allocations will emphasize fire stations and streets given resource constraints in DPW.
Continuum of Care eviction policy and client plan: Staff said a person enrolled in the Continuum of Care program was recently evicted and that the agency will draft a written eviction policy this week. The agency is working to relocate the participant to alternate housing and said it intends to maintain the individual’s program participation where possible while clarifying due‑process steps for future removals.
Landlord outreach and quality controls: URA staff plans to convene a county-supported landlord roundtable to recruit units for tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA) and Continuum of Care placements. Staff said they will invite landlords broadly but will require units to pass HUD inspections before placement and consider excluding landlords with documented code‑enforcement or habitability violations from priority placement lists.
Economic development and revenue analysis: The URA reported it is participating in a city-wide economic development revenue analysis that will cost out municipal services and recommend hourly rates for permitting and planning, with an initial focus on building and planning departments.
Audit status: Staff reported the URA met a March 31 commitment to provide materials to auditors for the 2020 audit and that 2021 work should proceed more smoothly because of improved filing practices; 2022 audits were described as substantially more seamless since arrival of the current controller.
Board members did not take additional formal votes on these updates; staff said they will return with contracts, specific project agreements and policy drafts when negotiations or procurement are sufficiently advanced.
