query: citizen oversight boards for city policy

[colist at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

[ed:  thanks to Stephen for replying to Aubrey's query.]

From: "Barton, Stephen" <SBarton at ci.berkeley.ca.us>

The City of Berkeley, California has a Housing Advisory Commission (HAC)
with some similarities to the Housing Policy Board described below in Ann
Arbor but it does not have direct authority to allocate funds. The Mayor and
each of the eight Councilmembers appoint one member to each City commission.
Under the City Charter commissions are advisory to the City Council, however
the HAC works with Housing Department staff to develop recommendations on
allocating CDBG, ESG and HOME funds for both City programs and programs run
by non-profit community agencies.  Most of the HOME and some CDBG goes into
the Housing Trust Fund, and the Housing Advisory Commission again works with
staff to develop recommendations for which projects should be funded through
the Housing Trust Fund. (I should note that the land use permit process is
entirely separate and goes through the Planning Departments Permit Service
Center and the Zoning Adjustments Board.)

Sometimes the staff and Commission recommendations differ somewhat, but
there is a great deal of mutual influence and sometimes the City Council
goes with the Commission recommendations and sometimes with the staff
recommendations.  The majority of the time we have a consensus. (In addition
to the HAC, we have a Homeless Commission that reviews homeless funding for
community agencies serving the homeless and makes policy recommendations to
Council and a Human Welfare and Community Action Commission that reviews
funding for anti-poverty organizations and also makes policy recommendations
to Council.)  As the Director of the Housing Department I find the process
of citizen review and feedback invaluable as a way to ensure we are
responding to community preferences in the recommendations we bring to the
City Council.

Stephen Barton, Ph.D. AICP
Housing Director
City of Berkeley
2180 Milvia Street
Berkeley, CA 94704

Tel: 510-981-5400
Fax: 510-981-5450
E-mail: sbarton at ci.berkeley.ca.us


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colist at coserver.uhw.utoledo.edu wrote:

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>[ed:  please feel welcomed to copy COMM-ORG with responses to Aubrey's
>query.]
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>From: aubreyw at umich.edu
>
>I am writing from Avalon Housing, a non profit supportive housing
>provider in Ann Arbor, MI, regarding a policy question about the level
>of citizen oversight for city housing issues. Our citizen oversight
>board for housing, the Housing Policy Board, has historically had
>project review and funding allocation powers.  This model is under
>attack.  City staff is attempting to restrict the Housing Policy Board
>to decisions regarding annual proposals and approving plans.  The actual
>funding and implementation decisions will no longer be made by this very
>important citizen oversight board. I have been contacting cities
>throughout the country with the intention of establishing what level of
>citizen oversight they have for human service decisions (particularly
>housing).  I have been asking other cities if their citizen oversight
>boards vote on annual human service, housing, or operations allocations
>for CDBG funds and/or if their citizen oversight boards get to review
>actual housing projects for HOME or others. If we can establish that
>other cities have substantial citizen oversight, it could help make the
>case for Ann Arbor's citizen oversight needs. Are there any cities in
>particular that you believe have an exceptional level of citizen
>oversight in human service decisions? Are there any publications you
>would suggest provide a useful theoretical framework to back the need
>for citizen oversight? I sincerely appreciate any feedback you may have.
>
>Aubrey Williams
>Candidate, Master of Social Work
>University of Michigan
>Intern, Avalon Housing
>603 W. Huron
>Ann Arbor, MI 48103
>(734)663-5858
>
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