Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners debate moderate-income revolving loan program; concerns about staffing and unclear implementation
Summary
Klamath County commissioners discussed a state-created Moderate Income Revolving Loan (MIRL) program that could support developer projects but concluded the county lacks staffing bandwidth and clarity on program operations, and no action was taken.
Klamath County commissioners spent part of their April 30 finance meeting discussing the state's Moderate Income Revolving Loan (MIRL) program, which was created by the legislature to stimulate housing development.
Commissioner Nichols summarized outreach and said one local developer had expressed interest, but the county's finance and assessor offices flagged implementation demands. The assessor estimated processing MIRL projects could require roughly 0.1 to 0.2 of a full-time equivalent staff member depending on volume.
Commissioners and finance staff said the program appears labor-intensive and that county finance is about to implement a major enterprise resource planning (ERP) conversion. One commissioner said the county's current staffing reductions mean there is not bandwidth to add this program now and declared they were currently opposed to adopting it in the county. Another commissioner said they remained neutral about the program's merits but would not support it without clearer operational detail.
Staff noted the legislature provided some funding for the program and that administrative fees are expected to cover costs, but commissioners raised additional concerns: potential loss of property tax revenue under the program ( commissioners discussed a 10-year property tax exemption referenced in conversation), unclear contingency if a borrower defaults, and whether program benefits for developers would be passed through to moderate-income residents.
No motion was offered at the meeting. County staff encouraged any local developers or interested stakeholders to meet with county officials to clarify demand and implementation steps before the county commits to standing up the program.
