Iowa City housing commission asks council to pause filling two vacancies while it pursues bylaw change

At its recent meeting, the Housing and Community Development Commission (HCDC) in Iowa City voted to ask City Council to delay filling two current vacancies while the commission pursues a possible amendment to its bylaws to reduce membership from nine to seven.

The request stems from repeated difficulties assembling a quorum. Kyle Vogel, chair of the HCDC, said the commission has struggled to convene five members since October and that reducing membership to seven would change the quorum requirement from five members to four. "We haven't been able to meet since October," Vogel said, and that made it impossible for the commission to make recommendations on time for some council items.

Commissioners discussed attendance data provided by staff showing lower participation in recent years. Mary Ann Dennis, a longtime commissioner and former affordable-housing developer, told colleagues the commission missed a key February review of aid-to-agencies recommendations because it lacked a quorum, which forced staff and council to assume additional work. "We owe it to the council and the community to do what we need to do," Dennis said, arguing a smaller commission would be more likely to achieve quorum for time-sensitive votes.

Neighborhood Services staff summarized the formal process for changing the bylaws. Sam (Neighborhood Services staff) told the commission that a bylaw amendment requires discussion at one meeting and a formal vote at the next; if approved by the commission, the amendment would go to the City Council rules committee for final action. "If you were to vote in favor of that, it would go to the city council rules committee, and they would be the deciding factor on the actual amendment," Sam said.

Commissioners expressed differing views on whether reducing seats would sacrifice diversity of perspectives. Amos Kitcha, a new commissioner who described himself as a former recipient of housing assistance, urged learning and contributing as a new member rather than making quick structural changes. "I just wanna ... maybe possibly contribute in some way," Kitcha said. Horacio Borgen, who said he represents the Latino community, also urged that appointments prioritize representation and participation.

After discussion, a motion asking City Council to hold off on filling the two current vacancies until the commission completes its rule-change process was moved and seconded and approved by the commissioners present. The chair instructed staff to relay the commission's request to council staff. The commission also agreed to place the bylaw amendment on the next HCDC meeting agenda for a formal vote; if the commission votes to approve the amendment, it will be forwarded to the City Council rules committee for consideration.

The transcript does not specify the exact date for the next HCDC vote on the bylaw amendment, nor does it record any formal action by City Council. The commission identified that three commissioner terms will end in June and that council appointments could proceed at their discretion if the council chooses not to honor the requested pause.

Ending: The change under consideration would reduce the formal membership to seven and lower the quorum threshold to four, a move commissioners said would make it easier to carry out time-sensitive reviews such as consolidated-plan and aid-to-agencies recommendations. The commission did not adopt a bylaw change at this meeting; it only approved a request to City Council to delay filling current vacancies while the commission pursues the amendment at a future meeting.