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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final January 17, 2017 <br />D. Commissioner Bob Solari <br />E. Commissioner Tim Zorc <br />14.E.1 17-0067 HUD and the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule <br />Recommended Action: Discussion <br />Attachments: Memorandum <br />This item was discussed in conjunction with Item 10.B.1. Request to Speak <br />from Phyllis Frey, the American Coalition 4 Property Rights, Regarding HUD's <br />Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, and is placed here for continuity. <br />Materials from Ms. Frey's presentation on April 12, 2016, and related items, <br />were provided for the record (copy on file). <br />Commissioner Zorc suggested two policy changes that would help protect the <br />County's Home Rule of Law: 1) make sure staff identifies and notifies the <br />Board of grant applications containing AFFH or AFFH-related stipulations <br />under another name; and 2) have the County Attorney's office review and report <br />back to the Board on the feasibility of the County adopting a similar law to <br />Sedgwick County, wherein the County would not enter into grant agreements <br />with AFFH requirements. <br />Deliberations ensued regarding the vagueness of the AFFH Rule; protecting the <br />Home Rule of Law; the financial impact on current programs if certain grants <br />are rejected and the preservation of the County's existing affordable housing <br />programs; the importance of grants to future projects; and the possibility that in <br />the future, the new HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, may eliminate the AFFH Rule. <br />County Administrator Jason Brown and County Fair Housing Administrator <br />Deputy County Attorney Bill DeBraal, provided input on the County's existing <br />grants and fair housing programs. <br />It was the Board's consensus that future grant agreements should be thoroughly <br />vetted, with well-defined requirements that are not open to interpretation. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Zorc, seconded by Vice Chairman O'Bryan, <br />to: (1) direct staff to continue performing due diligence on grants and implement <br />a formal process to ensure that the County has investigated all of the AFFH or <br />AFFH-related grants that the County has accepeted or is considering; and (2) <br />direct the County Attorney's Office to review and report back to the Board <br />regarding a policy that would preserve the County's current programs but <br />address future grants with AFFH or AFFH-related requirements. The motion <br />carried by the following vote: <br />Indian River County Florida Page 10 <br />