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Council sends proposed Affordable Housing Trust to finance after split vote and extended debate
Summary
The council debated a proposed Affordable Housing Trust and related ordinance for more than an hour before voting to refer the resolution and draft ordinance to the Committee on Finance for further study and a more detailed briefing from experts and staff.
After extended debate that highlighted both support for new local housing tools and concerns about duplication of existing programs, the Fall River City Council voted to refer a proposed Affordable Housing Trust resolution and companion ordinance to the Committee on Finance for additional study.
Councilors who supported the referral said a local housing trust could provide flexible, locally controlled funding to shore up affordable and market-rate housing efforts, support rehabs, assist rent stabilization, and complement existing federal and state programs. Backers pointed to a 38-page model packet from the Massachusetts Municipal Association as a reference and suggested inviting a representative from MMA and former city administrator Adam Chaplin to brief councilors on successful local examples.
Opponents and skeptical councilors raised several concerns: that the proposal duplicated existing work by the Community Development Agency (CDA) and other local entities; that a new board with acquisition powers could create procurement and prevailing-wage complications under Chapter 30B; and that the draft ordinance as written gave broad authority — including property acquisition and oversight functions — that some councilors considered excessive without clearer limits. Multiple councilors also noted that the sponsor had not attended earlier ordinance-committee meetings and recommended a committee review where proponents could present details and answer technical questions.
The council’s action was procedural: by referring the resolution and draft ordinance to the Committee on Finance, members sought a more detailed staff and stakeholder briefing on funding sources, legal constraints (including Chapter 30B and prevailing-wage implications), and how a trust would interact with CDA and other local programs. No binding funding commitment or final ordinance was approved at the meeting.
Next steps: the sponsor indicated plans to reprint and distribute the MMA materials and to request a meeting with an MMA representative. Council leaders said they expect the finance committee to schedule hearings that include city staff, CDA representatives and outside experts before any final vote.
