Committee forwards amended housing-trust IGA to council after briefing on regional trust activity

The Finance, Administration & Economic Development Committee voted Feb. 18 to forward to full county council a resolution authorizing the county administrator to execute an amendment to the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that governs a regional housing trust fund. Committee members moved the item to council without objection after a multi-part briefing from housing-trust representatives and county staff.

Committee Chair introduced the item as a resolution authorizing an amendment to the IGA concerning affordable and workforce housing. Claude Hicks and a Trust representative described the trust's origins, governance and recent work; county deputy attorney Dylan said the proposed amendments (detailed in Exhibit A in committee materials) focus on the IGA's term, termination procedures and the disposition of funds if the agreement ends.

"Our mission is very, very simple. We create and preserve workforce and affordable housing. That is it. That's all we do," said Claude Hicks (Beaufort-Jasper Housing Trust), summarizing the trust's purpose as it undertakes home-repair grants, first-time homebuyer assistance and workforce-housing development.

A representative who traced the trust's origins said the trust began after the Azekuro/Robinson implementation plan (August 2021) and that seven jurisdictions and several local partners initially funded the regional trust and advisory structure. He said the trust was originally managed with Community Works as fiscal agent; when Community Works withdrew, the trust created a new account and retained contributed funds in escrow until governance and fiscal-agent questions were resolved. The speaker emphasized the trust is a separate nonprofit and said contributed monies have not been spent except for a $500,000 investment in development on Boundary Street that he said was undertaken with Community Works' recommendation.

Trust leaders described program activity since late 2023: roughly $2 million in grants and commitments to create and preserve workforce and affordable housing (including $500,000 to the Carrington Manor senior affordable development), about $619,000 in home-repair grants preserving roughly 98 homes, and $364,000 in homebuyer-assistance grants that created 12 new homeowners to date with a projection of 42 total. They also credited a $3 million state grant obtained through cooperation with legislative partners and said the trust served as fiscal agent for a $600,000 local match that helped leverage additional private and nonprofit capital for a 21-unit townhome project.

County Deputy Attorney Dylan described the amendment under consideration as six changes spelled out in Exhibit A; he said they mainly clarify the agreement's term and termination process and specify what happens to trust funds in the event of dissolution. Dylan said there is currently no fiscal impact to the county from the amendment and staff are recommending the committee authorize the administrator to execute it.

Committee members asked questions about the trust's role, fiscal-agent history, and the trust's qualification as a sponsor for a South Carolina repair fund; trust representatives said they have qualified as a sponsor for a state home-repair program and are working with municipalities on program delivery.

After discussion, a committee member moved the item to county council; another seconded, and the committee forwarded the amended-IGA resolution to council without objection.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution authorizing county administrator to execute amendment to intergovernmental agreement regarding affordable housing: moved to county council by committee; motion made and seconded in committee; forwarded to county council without objection.

- Reappointments (committee recommendations forwarded to county council): Airport board reappointments (Thomas Sheehan; Nicholas Meisenberg; Leslie Florey; Anne Esposito; Howard Ackerman; Christopher Butler) for two-year terms (expiring Feb. 2027) and Board of Assessment Appeals reappointment (Paul Jernigan) for four-year term (expiring Feb. 2029) were recommended by the committee and forwarded to council without objection.

The committee took no final action to change fiscal policy or to transfer funds at the meeting; the resolution and the recommended appointments will appear on a future county-council agenda for final action.