Resident raises county concerns about city’s moderate‑income housing loan ordinance; staff says county will review MOU

Julie Thompson of Green Valley Road addressed the board during public comment on June 24, asking how a recently passed city ordinance (referred to in the transcript as Ordinance 209) establishing a moderate‑income housing loan program will affect county services, tax revenue and liability.

Thompson asked who would pay for county services the new program’s residents might use and what would happen if a development failed financially. Staff responded that the process is not complete: the state agency that administers the program will reach out to the county with a memorandum of understanding the county can review and provide feedback on. Staff said there may be opportunities to limit scope or scale through intergovernmental agreement language, but the county will need to see the city’s ordinance and the state agency’s MOU to assess specific effects.

Thompson also asked who would bear costs for emergency response in the event of a market failure; staff noted that because the development sits inside city limits, the city’s services would be the first responders, but residents and developments commonly rely on county resources as people travel beyond city boundaries.

Next steps: staff will obtain the city’s ordinance text, review the state agency’s MOU when it is provided, and report back to commissioners so the county can determine whether to seek changes in scope or protections in the intergovernmental arrangements.