would you please stand uh with us and uh recite the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thank you and welcome to this work session today. We will not be taking any votes as this is a work session. Um, so why don't we get to the important uh one item on the agenda, the CDA 2027 levy. >> Good morning, chair and commissioners. Allison Strike, executive director for Carver County CDA. Um, I want to acknowledge uh staff and board members that I have in the room. They will all be up here at some point um with the exception of Gretchen. So, thank you for being here to support us. >> Um, >> is it power red day today? [laughter] >> Colorcoordinated, >> giving us a heads up, but >> next time. Next [laughter] time. Um, so, thank you for the opportunity to present the CDA's proposed 2027 budget and levy. The CDA's mission is to provide affordable housing opportunities and foster community economic development throughout Carver County. as we prepare for 2027 remained focused on meeting the needs of residents while being responsible stewards of public resources. Over the past year, the CDA has continued to invest in initiatives that strengthen communities, support economic growth, and expand housing opportunities across the county through our affordable housing portfolio, emergency rental assistance program, [clears throat] excuse me, home ownership initiatives, and strategic partnerships with cities, nonprofits, and other partner organizations. We're helping ensure Carver County remains a place where people of all ages and incomes can live, work, and thrive. The impact of these efforts extends far beyond housing alone. Through the down payment assistance program in 2025, we assisted 19 households achieve their dream of home ownership. Our entrepreneurial support programs are helping businesses start and expand, creating jobs, and strengthening local tax bases. At the same time, our housing programs continue to address critical community needs, providing stability for families, seniors, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and residents with disabilities. The 2027 budget and levy reflects a balanced approach that maintains our existing services, supports emerging housing needs, and positions us to continue delivering measurable result results for Carver County communities, as well as our commitment to leveraging outside resources wherever possible, maximizing the impact of local investments and ensuring that every levy dollar supports the county's long-term goals for housing, economic vitality, and quality of life. This morning, we'll review the proposed budget, highlight key programs and accomplishments, discuss the factors influencing our 2027 budget, and explain how this levy request supports continued service to Carver County residents and communities. Thank you for your continued partnership and support. And I look forward to reviewing with you. Um, so the chair of our board was not able to attend today, so I would invite the vice chair of our board to come up. Thank you, Allison. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, commissioners. Um, my name is Sylvia Matele. I have the privilege of serving as the vice chair of the board of the Carver County Community Development Agency. And before we begin today's budget presentation, I just want to take a moment to thank the staff and the leadership team, fellow commissioners, um, community partners and residents for their continued engagement and support of the Carver County Community Development Agency. Thank you. The proposed 27 2027 budget reflects our commiti our mission of providing affordable housing opportunities and fostering community and economic development throughout Cover County. It is a budget that balances fiscal responsibility with the growing needs of our communities. As we review this budget today, it's important to remember the breadth of the CDA's work. We currently provide and manage approximately 850 affordable housing units across the county and growing. We support firsttime home ownership opportunities, support our businesses through next stage, and partner with communities on community and development initiatives that strengthen our local tax base and quality of life. The investments reflected in this budget continue a strong record of results. Through the community growth partnership initiative, CDA's funding has helped leverage more than 225 million in public and private investments across Cover County. Our partnerships continue to support housing development, business growth, redevelopment efforts, and entrepreneurial success throughout the region. We have also seen significant progress in expanding housing opportunities. Recent projects such as Carver Place, Carver Oaks have opened their doors while Trails Edge Senior Housing moves closer to construction. At the same time, our community land trust programs continue to help people access stable and affordable home ownership. Most importantly, this budget is about the people. It supports residents seeking a safe place to live, communities planning for future growth, seniors wishing to age in place, and businesses creating jobs and opportunity across the county. It represents a continued commitment to ensuring that Carver County rema remains a place where people can live, work, and thrive. With that, I'd like to thank staff for their continued work in preparing this budget and invite them to begin today's presentation. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good morning, Chair Workman and Commissioners. My name is Janette Meyer and I'm the director of human resources and operations. I'm going to give you a history of the CDA in the beginning and up to date. When created in 1980, the CDA was originally called Carver County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, HRA, with only one employee and no levy. Under the that authority, they received their first levy in 1992 for payable 1993 taxes. In 1998, it was up to six employees. In 2001, the HIA was granted economic and development authority, EDA powers. Then in 2006, the HA changed its name to Carver County Community Development Agency. And now to date, we operate with approximately 40 employees. The CDA's mission is to provide affordable housing opportunities and foster community and economic development throughout Carver County. As we we prepare for the 2027 budget, we remain focused on meeting the needs of residents while being responsible stewards of public resources. The CDA is dedicated to strengthening communities by expanding affordable housing opportunity and supporting sustainable community and economic growth. Through our strategic partnerships, innovative programs, and responsible development, the agency works to enhance the quality of life for residents, create vibrant neighborhoods, and foster a strong local economy that benefits current and future generations. Thank you. Um, okay. So, affordability. When we talk about housing affordability or housing that is an affordable, um, it's important to recognize that affordability is relative to a household's income. A commonly accepted standard is that a household household should spend no more than 30% of its income on housing costs. Households that spend more than 30% are considered cost burden. So, for example, a household earning $250,000 a year would be annually would be considered cost burden if they were spending 50% of their income on their housing costs. Actually, spending 50% is considered severely cost burden. According to Minnesota Housing Partnerships 2026 Carver County profile, there are 7,627 renter households in Carver County. And of that number, 43% or [clears throat] 3,156 are considered cost burden. Among homeowners, 19% of the county's 33,548 homeowner households or approx approximately 6,45 are cost burdened. However, being costbururden does not necessarily mean a household needs affordable housing. Rather, it indicates the household's current housing costs are too high relative to their income. So when an organization such as the CDA refers to affordable housing, we are generally talking about a property that is [snorts] uh housing that is income and or rent restricted or both. The income levels serve served are determined by the funding um source and the program requirements. CDA rental properties serve households ranging from 30 to 80% of area median income with rents structured to be affordable to the households within those income ranges. Similarly, the CDA's community land trust program is available to households earning 80% of area median income or below. Our down payment assistance program serves households with incomes of 100% of area median income or below, reflecting the higher income limits permitted by that funding source. Um, and 100% of area median income for Carver County right now is about 132,000 a year for a household of four. Um, understanding the distinction between housing that is unaffordable to a household and housing that is formally designated as affordable housing helps clarify both the scale of housing challenges in our community and specific populations served by CDA programs. >> Good morning, chair, commissioners. Good to be with you. U, my name is Melody Bridgemond. I'm the community development director for the CDA and I have the pleasure of talking to you about the community development initiatives. These are just some of the key things that we've been working on. Um, some for a long time, some are new initiatives. Uh, so the first one I want to talk to you about is the community growth partnership initiative. Um, this was created in 2016. Um, and the purpose of the program was to increase the tax base and improve the quality of life in Carver County through four specific strategies. Affordable housing, redevelopment, job creation, um, and technology assistance. through direct grants from the CDA. Um, cities and counties are eligible for any number of um, uh, awards for those specific purposes. Um, to date, we've awarded 67 grants um, totaling just under 2.9 million. And as we stated earlier, it has been an incredible leverage. Um, we've leveraged over $225 million from that pool of funding alone. Um we funded things for like redevelopment, um industrial parks, affordable apartments, um a lot of zoning and feasibility studies, some small area plans, and we've got one of the recipients here, Lakeland Township. We help them with their feasibility and their construction design of their wastewater treatment. Uh one of the other economic development initiatives that we have is a long-standing partnership with Next Stage. Um it's a nonprofit organization that helps with um business startups and expansions. Um they're experts in their field and they are um available at no cost to businesses um that want to grow, expand or startup. Um they provide planning resources including um writing business plans, testing feasibility concepts, um financing. They provide direct financing as well as helping access um to other uh financing providers. Um let's see. Um, in 2026 alone, uh, through the end of the quarter, they've helped 24 clients. Um, when I was looking at the statistics, most of them are bakery and service food expansion, um, to a mobile high-end restroom rental facilities. Um, they again, they do a lot of good work for us um, and for the businesses in this county that want to establish themselves here. um this year the loan um just through the beginning of Q2 they've provided 225,000 in direct lending and after which leveraged um a total of 943,000. Um one of the other initiatives that we have is we established a local housing trust fund. Um these funds are specifically from levy set aside to help nonCDA developers um do new construction of affordable housing projects. Um right now we are working on a partnership with Beyond New Beginnings. Um since it was established um we have uh set aside $23,000 of levy funds. Um one that was established before the la program came into being. Um one of the things that we're anticipating doing is setting aside some of the la funds um as well for noncda developers. Um we expect to have an RFP go out sometime in Q3 or Q4 um to allow um nonCDA developers access to resources to help build new construction of affordable housing. All right. All right. One of the other initiatives too is we've got a great partnership with the um the county's environmental services. Um we have helped them um with them to um help residents with get lowcost um grants and loans to repair their failing septic uh septic systems or wells. Um for 2026, we have one loan that's been approved and four applications in process. to date since they've um they've received those grant funds, we've helped them with 83 loans for people that are having the need for septic system upgrades. Uh one of the other initiatives that's new to us um new to us environmental services is they approached us um in the spring about um partnering with them on an organics grant to help bringing um organics collections to multif family um buildings. Since we have plenty of multif family buildings, it was a great partnership. So, we wrote a support letter and are now in the process of implementing that to help with organics collections. um to meet the goal, the statewide goal of everyone having access to organic collection by 2030. And then lastly, probably the one that's nearest and dearest to my heart is the committee land trust program. Um as Allison and others stated earlier, um the beauty of this program is it it brings a home into the land trust and then it's perpetually affordable. Um the land trust owns the land and the owner owns the improvements which makes it incredibly affordable. Um, in a county where the average household median household income for new construction of a single family is nearing 500,000, that isn't affordable for your entry- level buyer. So, a land trust owner must be at 80% area minimum and be a first-time home buyer to access the um, community land trust homes. Um, right now there are 52 land trust homes. Um they are located in Chaza, Cologne, Mayor, Victoria, Waconia, Watertown, and then our last newest one that we just brought into land trust this past July was in Chanhasson. Um since it our inception, one of the again the beauty thing, beautiful things about it is once the house is in the land trust, it remains in the land trust. So with that portfolio, we've been able to help 86 households achieve um first-time home buyer. Um this last year was a big growth year. We increased the land trust by 25%. And it is our goal to continue to expand that land trust. Um we wrote a grant this past July um for 12 additional units of land trust and we're continuing to look for partnerships, ways to partner with others to bring the houses into the land trust to maintain that permanent affordability for home ownership. Okay. [clears throat] Uh 2020 2050 comp plans. Um, so we'll be providing comp plan resources to the cities for their 25 comp plan updates. Um, we did this same uh process in 2040. We've actually already met with uh county staff as well about how we can provide input on the housing sections. And then we're currently working on updating our resources and plan to have them out later this year. Um, MaxFel is also completing an affordable housing update by city um that will be ready for the cities to use as well later this year. local affordable housing aid. Um so we signed a professional service agreement for distribution of LAA um in April of 2025 between the county and the CDA. So um the county administers 30%, the CDA administers 70%. Um so I'm just going to go through by the years and give an update. Um, so 2024 LAa, the first round of DPA, which was launched in 2025, um, as Melody mentioned, provided funding to 19 first-time home buyers to support their dream of home ownership in Carver County. The average assistance, well, so we had 18 households received 50,000 and one household received 48. The average household size was 2.4 persons. The average income was just over $78,000. The average p purchase price was just over $321,000 and the average mortgage was just over $263,000. 47% of the home buyers were currently Carver County residents at the time they bought their new house. And then homes were purchased in nine of the 11 cities. The rental assistance program launched in February and closed in April of 2026. We expended just over $163,000 in emergency rental assistance to households experiencing housing instability in Carver County. The program is administered in partnership with the Bonafold Basket Food Shelf. We serve 64 households with an average household size of three, average income of just over $31,000, and an average assistance amount of just under 2500. The remaining 2024 amount will be used as part of the funds approved towards the rehab work of the new building. we've built in New Germany. Um, which will consist of new sighting, windows, and exterior doors. And I just signed the contracts to move forward with that project. 2025 LAA, we launched the second round of firsttime home buyer down payment assistance and the first round of first gen down payment assistance about a month ago. Um, this might be outdated, but as of last week, we have um seven reservations for home buyers. So, five first time and two firstg gen and 22 pre apps being processed. The multifamily CDA set aside was for the purchase and rehab of 100 State Street in New Germany and 110 West 2nd Street in Chesca. The multifamily nonCDA set aside is for de developers applying um for funding towards new constructions and I'll have more details on that on the next slide. The senior re rehab program will launch in the fall of 2026 um in partnership with an organization called Rebuilding Together Minnesota. They will be uh have a staff person working out of our office. The program is designed to help low-income Carver County residents um aged 62 and older or disabled repair vital home systems. The homeowners will be um 50% of area median income or less and that's currently just over 46,000 for a household of one and 66,200 for a household of refor that will help them repair or replace critical systems within their home and allow them to successfully age in place. The maximum loan amount per household will be 30 uh 30,000. There'll be no interest. Uh it's a deferred loan and it will be forgiven over 10 years. So one/tenth will be forgiven every year. Um so it will be fully forgiven if the homeowner remains in the home for 10 years. Um and eligible improvements examples include accessibility modifications, HVAC, plumbing, um and exterior. Um and as one of the ways Melody mentioned to try to be creative on how we can expand our land trust. um we will have the right of first refusal um on those houses so that we potentially could buy the home and bring it into the land trust or maybe um hold it for somebody who's getting down payment assistance and 2026. So $1.3 million for Trails Edge Senior to replace $2 million in federal earmarks that reduce the amount of tax credits the project is eligible for. um a 10% set aside for developers, as I mentioned, nonCDA developers to apply for funding for new construction. So, between 2025 and 2026, we have just over $610,000 available. Um, and as Melody mentioned, we intend to release a RFP later this year for those funds. Um, and the use of the remaining funds will be decided in the next month or so, as that 2026 amount just came out the last couple of weeks. Good morning, chair and commissioners. I am Andrea Willis, the director of housing with the CDA. >> Morning. >> I'm just going to review um types of properties with the CDA. The CDA currently owns and manages 848 rental units scattered throughout Carver County. The addition of Trails Edge Senior will bring us to 891. The CDA plays a vital role in expanding access to safe, stable, and affordable housing across Carver County. Our affordable rental housing units serve families, seniors, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and residents experiencing housing instability. In addition to providing affordable housing, the CDA administers 160 project based voucher units, also known as PBV, where residents pay 30% of their income towards rent. The project based voucher units include housing designated for individuals experiencing homelessness, homeless veterans, persons with disabilities, families at risk risk of homelessness, and residents served through community partnerships. The CD also o oversees 81 units converted through the federal rental assistance demonstration, also known as RAD program, helping preserve long-term affordability and housing quality. Beyond housing, the CDA is committed to supporting resident stability and self-sufficiency through comprehensive resident services. Staff work directly with residents to connect them to critical community resources, including energy assistance, SNAP, benefits, food support, health care services, and other social service programs. The CDA also partners with organizations such as the CAP Agency, River Valley Health Services, and WCAP to provide educational presentations, referrals, and individualized assistance to help residents remain successfully housed and improve their quality of life. Together, these housing and supportive service efforts strengthen communities across Carver County and help ensure residents of all ages and incomes have access to safe, affordable housing and the resources needed to thrive. The CDA currently owns properties in 10 out of the 11 cities in Carver County. So, the only city is uh Hamburg that we don't have a presence currently in. And we are continuing to expand our footprint. [clears throat] Carver County CDA project funding update. Um so, this slide is an update on the ARPA and the Carver County CDA project um fund money. Um, as I've mentioned before, Humanity Alliance and Bluff Creek and West Creek, those are all done, so they're not on here anymore and completed. Um, Carver Place is closed and opened in September 1st of 2025. Um, Carver Oaks is done and opened February 25th of 2026. Um, and Trails Edge Senior, we are working on closing and breaking ground in October or November of this year. Uh, again, so this is a a view of Carver Place. um 60 units, 15 one-bedroom, 32bedrooms, and 15 threebedrooms. All households are at or below 60% of area median income, which is currently 55,260 for a household of one and 91,560 for a household of six. Um with further income targeting for households at or below 50% of area median income, we have seven units of section 811 housing. Um, and that is where the head, co-head or spouse is between the ages of 18 and 61 and someone has a disability. Um, and then those households pay 30% of their income and the rest is subsidized. And then we also have seven units of high priority homeless units and those are funded through the housing support system and the CAP agency is the service provider. Carver Oaks um is a 43 unit senior household building serving uh households at or below 50% of area median income, which is currently 46,50 for a household of one and 65,750 for a household of four. It has 32 onebedrooms and 11 twobedrooms. Um we have seven units of VASH funding. So that's the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program. So it serves veterans that are homeless or at risk of homelessness. um households pay 30% of their income and the rest is subsidized and the VA is the service provider. Um and then we have a few other units that are also restricted at 30% um income in rent. And then Trails Edge Senior again that was funded in December of 2025. It is Carver Oaks just pllopped on another piece of land. So same units, same income restrictions. Um the only difference is uh Trails Edge Senior will not have any VASH units. Um it'll have nine units for high priority house high priority homeless households again funded through housing supports cap agency is the service provider and then an additional three units will be restricted at 30% income and rents. Um CDA office space update. Uh so the office expansion continues to move forward and is progressing well. Construction is nearing completion. Um, and we're excited for the vision of this expanded space. While we've experienced a few supply chain related delays, um, including back order doors and our office furniture is probably about six week out, six weeks out at this point, the overall project remains on track. Um, our goal is to host the September board meeting there. Fingers crossed. If not, it'll be October for sure. Um, and we're optimistic that the timeline will support the objective. The expanded office will provide enhanced functionality, improved workflow efficiencies, and a more welcoming environment for staff and visitors. Um, as we move through the final stages of the project, I'd like to extend a extend a sincere thank you to the staff for their patience, flexibility, and positive attitude throughout the construction project. Uh, living in a construction zone is not always easy. Um, so continuing daily operations while navigating temporary disruptions and workplace adjustments has required teamwork and adaptability and staff have consistently risen to the challenge. Um, we look forward to sharing the completed space with the board and community and we're excited about the opportunities for the enhanced facility. Um, and we are intending to hold hold an open house um once we get completed with construction. Good morning, chair and commissioners. I'm Bernie Larson, the director of finance for the CDA. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Good morning. >> In accordance with Minnesota statute, the CDA has authorized to levy special benefit taxes subject to approval from the Carver County Board of Commissioners. Per the formula and statute, the CDA is eligible for a maximum levy of 4,673,196, which is a 23% increase from the 2026 levy. The CDA approved the 20 2027 budget at the July 23rd board meeting. The CDA will request the county board approve its levy at the se September 1st board meeting. The proposed increase helps the CDA maintain and expand critical housing and community development programs throughout county. The annual impact to homeowners remains modest, equating to less than a cup of coffee per month for the average valued home. The CDA programs CDA programs leverage local levy dollars to secure additional state, federal, and private funding, maximizing the return on the county's investment. The proposed levy continues the CDA's commitment to fiscal responsibility while ensuring that residents have access to safe, affordable housing and community development resources. Investments made through the CDA contribute to stronger communities, economic vitality, and an improved quality of life for Carver County residents. For the 2027 budget, the Carver County Development Agency is requesting a levy of $3,931,350, which is a three and a half% levy increase, which is $132,944 increase from the 2027 2026 approved levy. The impact on a $58,000 valued home has a yearly increase of $1.92 or 16 cents monthly increase for a total of $7267 per year. Um the total 2027 budget for the CDA is just under $20 million of which the levy represents 20%. Um and then uh I'll go into further detail on the next couple of slides, but funds from the levy increase would be utilized to offset payroll and benefit costs. Okay. Um, so the 2026 approved increase was just over 243,000 and the 2027 in requests is just over 132. Um, this just shows a breakdown of the CDA revenue sources. So 19% [clears throat] from state, local, and operating, 20% levy, and 61% housing. Um so the 2027 requested budget for revenue um [snorts] you can see there's a negative or a decrease in administrative and so for changes in salary and benefits from 2026 where we were we were able to remove three caretaker positions that were part of our enterprise chargeback. So not levy funding. So the CDA would pay for their payroll and then we would bill it back to the property so it would come back to the CDA's revenue. Um those positions are now covered by a cleaning service and are strictly paid for through the the property operating budget. Additionally, we were able to review um our property manager coverage and remove one property manager position that was also part of that enterprise chargeback and still provide the same level of coverage at all of our properties. We looked really closely at all line items in the budget this year. The positions that we've added or reclassified include a staff accountant too, a re property manager too, which are both just reclasses of current positions, and then the addition of an executive administrative assistant, a community development specialist to, and a director of facilities. With admin not being an eligible use of LAA, adding another staff member in the community development department is integral as we continue to deploy county LAA funds and work with cities. um also ex to help them expand their WAHA funds, expand the community land trust and free up the director of community development to assist me with future development throughout the county. The new director of facilities position is an essential position as the CDA now has 13 properties um and more buildings. That's just the properties together and 80 scattered state homes which are comprised of town house town houses, duplexes, forplexes, and single family homes. every property. So, all 13 of those properties have a five-year capital improvement plan to ensure our buildings are maintained at the highest standard. Every spring, we start the process of updating those five-year capital improvement plans to determine um what work needs to occur that year. This is an extremely important giving the approximate $95 million value of all of the CDA's assets. Additionally, this position is responsible for assisting with the down payment assistance program, the community land trust, and providing valuable in input in construction of our new buildings. Um, so uh expenditures with the and so again a decrease here with the addition of LAA funding as an option to pair with our land trust program. Um, as we outlined in the original five-year projection we presented to the board, we were able to shift leverage funds in the land trust category to help offset payroll. We did this by reducing the land trust funding amount in our 2026 budget. This along with our levy increase allowed us to implement phase two of our salary study, add in those new positions and re reclass two positions as well as increase the community growth partnership and local housing trust fund. >> [snorts] >> This slide just shows a history of the levy by percentages and the total levy amount going back to 2016. And then if I can just take a moment for a couple some very key accomplishments and impacts for the CDA. Uh so again, we currently own and manage 848 housing units across 10 of the 11 cities and we're gunning for that last city to get something there. Um it so providing housing for approximately 1500 residents. Collectively, again, our properties are valued at roughly $95 million. In addition to our housing portfolio, we administer se several tenant-based rental assistance programs serving 54 residents. Um these programs include Bridges, which serves people with mental illness. Bridges RTC, which serves individuals with mental illness who are transitioning from a regional treatment facility back into the community. Housing trust fund provides rental assistance to household identified as high priority homeless through the coordinated entry system and permanent supportive housing which helps individuals in and families experiencing homelessness. We are fortunate to partner with Carver County Health and Health and Human Services on all four of these programs. They are the service provider um and they help connect participants to supports they need to remain successfully housed. Earlier this year, we provided approximately $163,000 in emergency rental assistance, helping 64 households remain stably housed. The community and economic development efforts continue to generate significant impact throughout Carver County. Since its in inception, the community growth partnership initiative has invested nearly $2.9 million, leveraging more than 211 million in total public and private partnership [snorts] private investment. Through our small business support programs, we help entrepreneurs and local businesses access uh the resources they need to start, grow, and succeed. In 2026 year to date, Next Stage has served 24 clients, providing $225,000 in direct lending, leveraging an additional $943,000. And the CDA continues to expand home ownership opportunities. Last year, 19 first-time home buyers received a total of a little over 900 or $49,000 in down payment assistance, help making home ownership more attainable and strengthening communities across Carver County. At this point, I would um ask for any questions or input or comments on our proposed levy and budget. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. I leaned over to Commissioner Lynch earlier. Uh we could have saved ourselves some times. That three and a half looks awfully nice. I was asking him to make a motion and a work [laughter] session >> except we're out of work meeting that. But >> we haven't seen that in a long while. Does anybody have any any comments? >> Commissioner Anderson. >> Um sure. I'll I'll kick this off. Um I thank you so much for for being here and for all the work you do and and it's nice to see the team effort. That's something that I get to see at um as the leaison to the to the CDA board and and to see so many of you you here and I appreciate um the work you do. Um, in full transparency, Allison has been asking me um since the beginning of the year. She's like, "Pretty sure the board is going to ask me for a zero increase." And I'm like, "It's going to be a rough year." And and and you knew that. And yet, um, sitting at those meetings month after month, I I see that there's just with just a little bit more funding, there's a lot more ROI that you can do. And and the ROI, the return on investment that you've demonstrated here is phenomenal. >> Thank you. >> And, um, I just really appreciate you being really fiscally responsible. I I know you've been through these numbers. This is not the first time I have heard these numbers and I just appreciate um uh like uh Commissioner Makoli said um you know this is really balancing fiscal responsibility with kind of the needs and and getting you getting you where you need to be. So, thank you so much for this. And um those are all the current comments I have. And um I I also just I think the three and a half% you've just done a really nice job of showing the value that you add and how much more value you can provide with just a little bit more in um cash. >> All right, >> Commissioner. >> Mr. Sure. Uh I underestimate how much you guys did six years ago. I didn't know much about it. And so and the a project a year for three years doesn't just happen. I know your predecessor had time into acquiring land which is one of the hardest parts of the process. Sometimes it takes 10 15 years to acquire land, right? Um the funding at the state and federal level is ridiculous and it needs to be fixed and that's not within your domain. But I think you agree with the nods. Um and I do like the 3.5%. That's been my number for a long time. I like the 3.5%. But CDA is a little bit rare for me in the last six years is because the last four years I've supported a max levy increase at 23%. And I wonder what could what is possible when we know we have a team. I guess I should stop for a minute, too. There's a couple new presenters, too. And I know how hard it is sometimes to stand up and present in front of a a board and whatnot. So, thank you for being here. It could be more conversational. We're a little bit elevated um on our position here, but um but that's great. Um, so my dream is this, and I believe that you guys can do even more. Not because it's your responsibility, not because historically you've had to, but because arguably we're sitting at a point in history where um the people at the federal government, both sides of the aisle, agree housing is a problem. Probably for the first time in a long time, the people at our state capital believe that housing is a problem and they're doing something about it. And locally, I know that we know and again I'm not looking at you because it's your responsibility, but I think you guys are uniquely positioned to do even more. Right? When we saw um COVID dollars and the board took the took the chance to say what what would it look like if we put up a million bucks a project, it [clears throat] wasn't because of us that you did that, but it sure made life a little bit easier to get those funding sources. And so I dream about a 3.5% as your base. Fantastic operations. I was listening closely to how you did it. Maybe you could help some of us as well, right? Because we are not looking at a 3.5. I think unofficially preliminary on our side is 145, right? So that's it's a lot, right? That's a lot. And so I look at what you guys are doing and maybe we can learn from other organizations. And so I dream, what could a 23% levy increase look like? And maybe this is the year to to do that. I've said privately, I'll say it publicly. There's people in the room that have heard me say this. I'm in support of a five-year max levy commitment to the CDA if we can use those dollars to staff um a group that could address the missing middle because because we we've about 25 to 30% of the CDA housing came online or will come online in the last five to six years. We have not as a community delivered 250 incremental units for the next step. And although some people will forever be renters for a bunch of different circumstances, their choice or other choice, there's a good amount of people that I think it's just frankly cruel that they stay in a forever rental place simply because that gap but to the next step keeps widening. Again, it's not your problem, but I don't think anybody else can solve this. Lenar is not solving this. Pi is not solving this. The cities aren't solving this. We're building $650,000 houses and we're building deeply subsidized houses. The gap is growing and growing and growing. I'll just use this statistic. I think unofficially 20 years ago, um, if you took three times the first time teacher salary, that would be the equivalent of a of a median house value in Carver County. That ratio is now 9x. And if we project out wage stagnation, taxes, and house valuation in 18 years, when my kids are starting to buy their first-time house, it will be 18x. They will not be able to afford a median house value of a million dollars taxed at $20,000, the trajectory we're at. So, I'll get off my soap box to say I support the work of the 3.5 in the base. And I dream is to if we went to 23%. It costs another dollar a month at a time when we need this more than ever. We don't get to control the price of eggs or gas or other things, but we can control things in placing. So, a couple questions for you, Allison. Can levy money be used to secure land? Uh, Commissioner Rman, yes, levy money could be used to secure land. Um, I also had a meeting yesterday with the other six counties. Uh, just an update. We we all started when Laha came out like meeting with each other like what are we going to do? Like what kind of agreements do we need? And we hadn't connected in quite some time. So, we had a regroup meeting just to we wanted to see how people were using their money. and a couple of the companies are using their money um for land banking or and to put infrastructure in not even necessarily for them to be able to develop but to secure it for other developers. So that is that is a potential use of la money as well. >> I just think as leaders we can look at for today and we do have to manage budgets no doubt about it. There's the the tyranny of the urgent I get it but there's also looking out 20 years and what might it look like if we pecked away and acquire acquired 100 acres of land and I appreciate your efforts looking into land bank. I appreciate your efforts looking into co-op. I appreciate your efforts looking into the potential of a partnership at the First Street Center, which is a dire need that we have and that where there might be partnership. We've done it before. We can do it in the future. And I would support us pushing that up if we allocated that to the and and one of the biggest challenges is the capacity staff capacity to do these things. >> But look at it. Three huge buildings in three years. You that was number number one. Number two was uh the place for your staff to go. We were looking at a for you guys were looking at a $14 million building or $10 million building and you did it on the footprint that you're at. You guys are capable of doing this and I think this is a place where we can make an investment you and your team to do more and I'd support that. So, thank you for being here. >> Thank you, >> Commissioner V. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair Allison. The Thank you. The the team approach is just awesome. So, thanks for all the staff to to be here. You look back at 850 units, the 1,500 residents that we've currently serve, and it's it's incredible in that $250 million private public investment. Those dollars are working and just a phenomenal job and thank you for the details on the affordability. Um I think at times we get lost in those different percentages and for people to understand that I I think is is very critical. um um what um Melody had talked about with that community growth with the 67 grants that 2.9 million and that leverage I mentioned that number earlier and just how those dollars work and that economic development economic support call it whatever you want but it's definitely working and to see the the CDA get involved in the environment [snorts] mental with the septic and the organic. That's a lot of people have no idea that the county helps with those types of projects. So there again, that's phenomenal. The the land trust ownership with the 52 homes, um firsttime home buyers, just all these positive programs. [snorts] I remember back in 2010 when I was the mayor of North Young America and to cut that ribbon at the Oakrove City Center to see the old Oakrove Dairy which a lot of people in this room probably don't even remember that there was a dairy in downtown Norwood and now to see what that building is today and to see what the city has done and [clears throat] now we're looking at an additional project on the city side called the Norwood Flats to grow that whole area and what it has done for downtown Norwood Young America is incredible. And then just a last couple final notes, the that enterprise chargeback, that's a great program. I'd like to learn more about that. That seems to be working extremely well, and we can have a one-on-one on that just to to understand that a little bit more. And it was great to hear about the five-year capital improvement project. I mean, definitely stay the course to protect that investment, which it's a great strategy for $95 million investment to continue to reinvest back into those buildings. is going to the benefit is going to be 10, 20, 30, 40 years down the road as we see these buildings age and then have them still be very very profitable and people want to live there and that's why we invested them in the first place. Ultimately, let's get Hamburg. Let's make it city number 11. >> Yep. >> Um, and I've said this comment before. I refer to the CDA as a silent train that is just cruising right through all our cities and all of Carver County and doing great things and people see the train go by and really don't know what's going on. So, thank you for today and I definitely support the 3.5% also. >> Thank you, >> Mr. Lynch. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um Allison, wonderful job. I think you're doing a bangup job. I think you're equivalent to Mr. Hemsy. You surrounded yourself with really good people and you work with your board and even your commissioner leaison which is sometimes difficult. >> You know I'm hard on [laughter] >> uh with that um the 848 units 1500 residents. That's wonderful. Uh you're going to open up Trails Edge to make it to 891. Do you have um vacancies? [snorts] I know you always have turnover because then do you have a waiting list or how exactly does that work? >> So we use um with the exception of uh Weberry, Hilltop and Mayor um they have to have like official waiting lists. So we manage those internally. Um we use something called weight list central through housing link. So uh we have interest lists for all of our properties and um we're excited to have housing link sort of manage that for us. So people can just we have QR codes for all of our properties that takes people directly to the website. They create an account and then they can just add whichever properties they're interested in and then when we have openings we can work off those interest lists um to try and find people quickly. Although you know a lot of times people are coming in and out and asking about units. Um so but we just refer them to weight list central. So that's been really great for us. We may toy around with using weightlist central to manage our act official waiting list someday. Um, but we'll see. There's a lot more compliance and complexity to the weight list than there is to the interest list. >> Uh, one more question is that, uh, you have these new wonderful buildings and I was just on had a conversation with an individual who had a unit he rented and the people who left it left it in a less than desirable condition. Do we have um any way that uh to keep your bu buildings beautiful for the future? Are there are there inspections or checkup? Uh I guess I kind of curious about that. I want and I just want to make sure that these buildings are they're in the future. >> Yes. So every resident does a move inspection. We do a 45day move in inspection just to go in and see how things are going, making sure that it's up to their standards. Um we have preventative maintenance, a preventative maintenance schedule for all of our properties. So maintenance are in the units probably at least an additional two times a year doing preventative maintenance type things. Um and then we do uh lease renewal inspections. So we have criteria that outline when we'll renew a household and an inspection is just a part of that. So we get back into the units for those too. >> Thank you for that. Appreciate the good work. >> Well, thank you. Um, you know, couple of takeaway points u from my fellow commissioner's comments before and um, you know, the legislature is not trying to shove down to you their programs unfunded. So, I don't think in fact they're doing the opposite. They're shoving big dollars down to you to do the stuff that uh that they want you to do. That's the opposite of the county board, which is they're shoving programs down to us without funding. And so that would uh I'm not ready to speculate on our levy increase, but [clears throat] um uh a little bit of a different situation. Secondly, um the three and a half is great. Um, the organization looks like it's doing really well, but let's face it, I wish we didn't have to subsidize anybody's housing. >> That's right. >> I didn't wish we didn't have a jail. I wish we didn't have a county attorney as affable and good a job as he does. [laughter] But we need these things. And so that we do have these things and need these things. I would hope that they are run very well. And I know our jail is run well. Our sheriff's department and our county attorney's office all running really well. And it sounds like you guys are right in there with us. And uh it sure sounds like it the vote might be four to one. Uh I might be the one that might vote against this >> [clears throat] >> uh with my tongue in my cheek. Um but uh but I think this is this is really good. There's a home on the corner on my way here for the past month. There's a home that is definitely in commissioner. What do you call it? The magical middle. The >> missing middle. >> Missing. It's definitely in that range. Corner assemble and stout. Been for sale for quite a while. It's in the missing middle now. It's not exactly in a maybe preferred location or other. Is it that tough out there with the interest rates and and whatever else uh that a house in the missing middle load to missing middle would still be available? uh chair, >> is that too big of a >> I think it is difficult. There's we've Melody and I have been talking about this sort of shift we've seen in the housing market and maybe the last month or two. So last year we opened up our DPA opened it how long before you closed it? >> Like a month. Uh it's going a lot slower this time and we're not really I don't know if people are nervous because of the midterms. Um but it there's definitely something going on right now. Um the I mean as Melody alluded to the average uh sale price for a house right now in Carver County is pretty high. I think what you run into and sort of our perspective at least with our money for assisting like first-time home buyers is we don't want to put set people up to fail either. So we're very mindful of the houses we let them buy. So, that's why our maintenance manager reviews all the inspections because we don't want them to get into a position, you know, where they buy a house and then they need to spend $20,000 on a roof or the the furnace goes out right away. So, it's finding that balance between some of those houses that are maybe on a little bit of the lower end um and still are in like good condition. Um, so yeah, I I it's just I'm not quite sure what's what's going on, but something's a little bit different in the housing market right now. And I don't I don't have a good gut check on what that is other than maybe I mean interest rates aren't great and just maybe the midterms. People aren't are kind of waiting to see what's going to happen. >> Yeah. But, you know, back to the um senior rehab program, that's that is our why we want to do that right of first refusal because we acknowledge we're going to get seniors who are hopefully holding on to some of those houses that are a little bit in the lower income range so that we can help meet the need. Um but that's this is not specific to Carver County. Um the average age of a first-time home buyer in the United States right now is 40 and that's for a multitude of reasons. So, this is not something that is by any means specific to Carver County. >> Okay. Thank you very much again. And and seeing no other questions, we'll uh see you in September 1st. >> Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. >> And what color are we wearing then? >> Uh to be to be determined. >> Okay. [laughter] Next up, we're maybe going to hear from our friends in Lake Township. >> Not on the agenda. >> No, Mr. Chair. I think we're going to uh re recess for budget hearings and then during the budget hearings, Lake Town will get a chance to speak during Nick's presentation. >> Oh, >> okay. Then why don't we just call this work session officially done? >> Sure. Awesome. Both got compliment.