The two councils will meet for a light breakfast Tuesday morning at the Park City Council chambers in the Marsac Building before getting to work discussing the formation of a regional housing authority.
Summit County Manager Shayne Scott says the process is moving quickly. A housing authority exploration committee has been formed and has met a half-dozen times. The group has also hired a consultant.
“I'm excited to get an update,” Scott said. “They've met almost weekly and they really hit the ground running there with [Affordable Housing Manager] Jason Glidden of Park City and [Economic Development and Housing Director] Jeff Jones on our side of town. Tana Toly is the chairman of that ad hoc committee, and we have representation from Councilmember Canice Hart. So, they've taken that charge very seriously and have really gotten to work. It's going to be exciting to see what they've worked out as far as some of the logistics of what a housing authority might look like for Park City and Summit County.”
The consultant is Dan Ackerman whose fee for time and materials is being split by Park City and Summit County.
“He's been invaluable in this process, and really helping us look at what a housing authority might look like in our neck of the woods," Scott said.
While neither Park City nor Summit County have a budget for a housing authority, Scott says both entities have different ways to fund it. When asked why it’s something the city and county couldn’t do on their own without adding another layer of government, he says there are benefits to aligning under a housing authority, including access to federal funding and tax credits.
“We really can tap into additional funds with a housing authority in a way that they're just an organization like a county or city can't," he said. "And I think that's part of what the charge of this committee is to do is, are we reinventing the wheel here? What's the point of having this housing authority? How does it help us? And I think we're still going to hear some of those details on Tuesday.”
At this point, there are no Wasatch County representatives on the exploratory committee. Given that it’s a regional housing authority, Scott says the committee could decide whether to include Wasatch County at the meeting.
“I believe that we are starting this in a way knowing that once we establish something, it can always be changed because we could always add Wasatch County to it just like we could join Salt Lake City's housing authority if it if it made sense and worked out," Scott said. "So, I think all these things are on the table."
The joint meeting will also include an update on the more than 1,000 affordable housing units already under construction or being contemplated in the greater Park City area. Following the meeting, participants will also take a tour of Park City’s nearly complete state-of-the-art Three Kings water treatment plant under construction near the municipal golf course.
