ARCIT's Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC)
Purpose: Review, advise and recommend policies and program benefiting the community development growth and stability of Rural Texas
Process: Review, advise and give policy/program recommendations to the duly elected ARCIT Board of Directors
Meetings:
Next meeting - March, 2010 to establish interim goals for 2009-2010 and prepare for the 82nd TX Legislature
October 28, 2009 - Combined meeting with all 3 ARCIT advisory committees at ARCIT annual meetingwith guest speakers from Tx Department of Agriculture, Tx Dept of Housing and Community Affairs, Tx Dept of Rural Affairs, TX State Affordable Housing Corporation and TX Commission on Environmental Quality
81st Texas Legislature, January - May, 2009 - Worked with the 81st TX Legislature and state agencies to develop new rural affordable housing programs. ARCIT staff will continue to work with the state agenices that will implement the new rural affordable housing programs to include capacity building in rural field offices, non-border colonia affordable housing, rural land assemblage, and additional programs.
Developed statewide recommendations for capacity building and rural affordable housing programs for the 81st Texas Legislature. Approved by the ARCIT Board 12/09.
November, 2008 to review the Panhandle Marketing Study and begin development of statewide rural affordable housing recommendations
Summer, 2008 - Teleconference/email updates as to the development of the rural affordable housing policy stakeholder recommendations to the 81st Texas Legislature
April 14, 2008 - Update of the Panhandle Partnership Affordable Housing Study to be conducted Summer, 2008 in order to develop statewide recommendations for a rural affordable housing policy. Additional discussion included HOME program, USDA programs and a possible initiative on a rural affordable housing land bank recommendation for the 81st Texas Legislature.
Organizational Meeting October 29, 2007 held in conjunction with ARCIT's Annual Rural Summit.ARCIT Board President and Hughes Springs City Manager George Fite chaired the advisory committee. It was a consensus that the CDAC will recommend to the ARCIT Board the following:
CDAC priority for the 2007-08: Work toward program solutions for rural affordable housing. ARCIT hold an affordable housing "solutions" conference held in rural Texas, along with a pre-education study to identify the depths of the single and multi-family affordable housing needs in rural Texas. See Action by Texas Senate Interim Charges below.
Discussion followed regarding the USDA 538 program and the legislation that passed in the 80th Texas Legislature. Legislation was introduced to prohibit the use of the USDA 538 loan in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program set asides. (The 538 program has lower interest rates and longer repayment terms making new construction more viable than using conventional loans.) It was agreed that the committee would look more deeply into this concern to determine its viability and possible solutions as ARCIT always stands for the best practices in rural development e.g. ability to use all federal/state/local funds available. Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs will be asked to report on this issue at the next committee meeting.
The ARCIT Board approved the CDAC interim recommendations at their Board teleconference in November, 2007.
------------------- New by Texas Senate Interim Charges: The 80th Interim Charges were released January 29, 2008 that directs the Senate IRT committee to "assess the proliferation of substandard housing in rural and unincorporated areas...and to recommend initiatives that Texas can...provide affordable housing, identify community assets, retain/create wealth and create jobs." ARCIT will be working with Chairman Lucio to provide relevant, updated rural housing information and be a resource in providing rural local official input during the interim study.
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ARCIT Requests Congressional Support for Passage of SB 2523: Click here for excerpts from letter to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
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Committee Membership: Click here for a list of CDAC Members. Up to 20 ARCIT local rural officials from cities, counties, economic development corporations, utility districts, engineers and associate members will serve on the committee.
