Hillsborough commissioners set repeal process for HOPE ordinance after heated debate over housing vs. public safety funding

Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday voted 5-2 to direct the county attorney to draft and schedule a public hearing to repeal Ordinance 19‑19, the 2019 measure that creates a board-directed allocation to the HOPE Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment in which pastors, nonprofit leaders and residents urged commissioners to preserve or restore funding for affordable housing, and a wide-ranging board debate that centered on whether the county should prioritize long-standing affordable housing commitments or devote more countywide resources to public safety and fire-rescue needs.

The action matters because Ordinance 19‑19 has shaped local housing spending since 2019 by requiring the county administrator to include up to $10 million annually for the HOPE fund. Commissioners who supported the repeal said the ordinance ties the administrator’s hands and that recent federal disaster recovery and housing grants create new funding opportunities that should be coordinated through the budget process. Opponents said the ordinance anchors a predictable local revenue stream for leveraged affordable-housing projects.

Public commenters described the local impact of the trust fund. “Affordable housing is public safety,” said Reverend Bernice Powell Jackson, who represented congregations that helped organize HOPE; she noted the trust fund helped produce about 1,100 units to date. “We are here because we believe it is important to live those words, ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” Lee Barks, a health and housing advocate, told the board that permanent supportive housing saves taxpayer dollars and improves public safety outcomes.

Commissioner Chris Bowles, who moved the action, said recent changes in state law and a large U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocation discussed in the meeting mean the county should reconsider tying a fixed dollar amount to one program by ordinance. “We have a rare opportunity with this grant to dramatically increase affordable housing for six years,” he said, arguing the board should preserve flexibility to direct countywide dollars where most needed.

Commissioner Perry Cohen said he planned to vote against repeal and emphasized the board already has authority through the budget process to allocate funds to affordable housing if it chooses. “At the end of the day, if it’s got the votes here, it can be used for whatever purpose we decide,” Cohen said.

The board’s repeal direction does not immediately change funding. The motion instructs county attorneys to prepare a repeal ordinance for a future public hearing; the county’s administrator will continue to prepare fiscal-year budget proposals under existing requirements until the board formally adopts any change. Commissioners noted other steps remain: possible budget decisions, a separate public hearing on any ordinance change and further discussion of alternative funding mechanisms, including a proposed millage-swap option referenced during debate.

The motion passed 5 to 2. Commissioners Perry Cohen and Gwen Myers voted no.

The board’s decision sets a timetable for a formal public process; advocates on both sides told commissioners they will continue outreach. Several speakers asked the board to preserve or restore the $10 million allocation in any budget conversation, while others urged using newly available federal dollars to leverage larger-scale housing investments.

What’s next: the county attorney will prepare a repeal ordinance for board consideration and public hearing. Any change to program funding would be finalized through the county’s standard budget process.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the public comment period or during the board debate and are recorded in the meeting record.