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Richfield pushes tenant protections, missing-middle and permanent housing trust funding in state priorities
Summary
Community development staff recommended seeking a 30-day written notice to tenants before eviction actions, allowing some LAHA funds for administration, advancing missing-middle zoning (two-family and accessory dwelling units by right), prohibiting Section 8 discrimination, and permanently allowing pooled increment transfers to the affordable housing trust fund.
Community Development Director Melissa Palman presented the department's legislative priorities at the Nov. 25 work session, centering on tenant protections, affordable-housing funding and zoning changes.
Palman asked the council whether to ask the legislature to make a form of transition aid permanent and to clarify whether the city should ask to be "made whole" for the impacts of a prior tax-rate reduction that left some communities without full transition aid. She outlined a proposal to require 30 days' written notice to tenants before pursuing eviction for nonpayment or other financial obligations and sought state-level authority to allow a portion of LAHA funds to be used for administrative costs tied to program delivery.
Other items included continuing advocacy for missing-middle housing reforms to allow two-family homes and accessory dwelling units by right, opposing housing discrimination against Section 8 and other voucher holders to increase housing choice, and pushing to make the transfer of pooled tax increment to the affordable housing trust fund a permanent option (special legislation currently expires in 2026).
Palman said staff will complete a study on the aid question and bring more precise language for council approval. Councilors generally expressed support for asking to be made whole on aid and for the tenant-notice proposal while seeking additional details on LAHA administrative use and statutory drafting.
Next steps: staff will finish the requested study, draft statutory language for the tenant-notice and pooled-increment items and bring final language back to the council for approval.
