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Resident urges council to prioritize housing over new street tax increase
Summary
During public comment Rick Faraday urged the council to act on the 2018 and 2022 housing strategies and to use a proposed local option tax (LOT) for affordable housing rather than devoting all proceeds to street projects.
Rick Faraday addressed the council during general public comment and urged the city to prioritize affordable housing measures identified in the City of McCall Housing Strategy (2018) and a subsequent 2022 study.
Faraday listed several implementation actions from the 2018 plan he said remain incomplete, including urban renewal development, land banking for affordable housing, encouragement of micro/ tiny-house development, an inclusionary housing ordinance and expedited approvals for price-restricted projects. He said he found little evidence those strategies were funded or enacted and complained that the council appears poised to allocate a proposed local option tax (LOT) increase primarily to streets rather than housing.
"That's the number one problem. It's not roads. It's not sewer. It's not infrastructure. It's housing. Please fund it now. Don't kill the local option tax option by giving it to streets," Faraday said, urging the council to prioritize housing funding and to report how much the city has saved or land-banked for housing over the past seven years.
Faraday also recited an example cost figure from the 2018 study (he reported $170 per square foot to build a house) and said staff work has been completed but not acted upon. The council did not take action on the public comment; staff noted the remarks and moved to the next agenda items.
