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Hillsborough commission votes to move forward with repeal of HOPE ordinance after heated affordable-housing debate
Summary
After hours of public comment defending the HOPE Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted 5–2 to direct staff to prepare a repeal of Ordinance 19-19 and schedule a public hearing, setting up a formal process on how the county allocates a $10 million annual allocation tied to the HOPE fund.
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday voted 5–2 to direct the county attorney to prepare an ordinance repealing Ordinance 19-19, the HOPE Affordable Housing Trust Fund mandate, and to schedule the required public hearing for the repeal.
The decision followed more than an hour of public comment from clergy, nonprofit leaders and residents who urged the board to preserve the trust fund and its roughly $10 million annual allocation, and a lengthy discussion among commissioners about whether the county should reallocate some future funds to public safety and fire-rescue needs.
Supporters of the HOPE fund said the local program leverages state and federal dollars to produce affordable units and that cutting the allocation would undermine years of progress. “Taxpayers are paying an average of $21,000 per person per year for each homeless person with mental illness and or addictions,” said Dr. Lee Barks, co-chair of…
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