Sponsor: County Manager's Office
Title
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Proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance - Hold the Public Hearing
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Recommendation
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Hold a Public Hearing to afford the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance.
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Background and Rationale
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Housing stability for residents has been a focus of Ramsey County for the last decade, but progress and coordination across stakeholders has been difficult to achieve. Building on the work of the Interdepartmental Housing Council, in 2019 an interim manager of Housing Stability was appointed to increase responsiveness and improve service coordination. The 2020-2021 budget included an initiative to effectively address homelessness by reducing the fragmentation in our current system through reorganization.
The new Housing Stability Department will align all County housing services and programs in one organization. Further, the financing and development of housing infrastructure will be consolidated within the Community & Economic Development department, which is also within the Economic Growth and Community investment (EGCI) Service Team.
Placement of the new Housing Stability Department within the EGCI Service Team strategically and operationally aligns all resources, funding, staffing and programs along the housing continuum: Emergency Housing > Supportive Housing > Subsidized Housing > Long-Term Stability within one Service Team to improve the delivery of services to our residents.
After creation of the department, budget and full time equivalents supporting the housing stability functions will be transferred to the Housing Stability Department from the Health & Wellness Service Team and the Incident Management Team.
The Ramsey County Home Rule Charter section 5.01A.1 states that acts of the County Board which shall be by ordinance include the following: Establish, structure, merge, or abolish any county department, office, agency, board or commission, except as provided for in this charter.
The Ramsey County Home Rule Charter section 5.02 requires setting a date for the public hearing and publishing the notice of public hearing at least 10 days in advance. The Notice for this public hearing was published on December 9, 2020 in the Vadnais Heights Press.
In addition, the public hearing notice and the entire proposed Ordinance have been posted on the County’s website at <https://www.ramseycounty.us/your-government/leadership/board-commissioners/board-meetings-information/public-hearings-notices>.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
There is no specific racial equity impact associated with the proposed action.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Information about this action is made available through County Board documentation published on the County’s website at <https://www.ramseycounty.us/your-government/leadership/board-commissioners/board-meetings-information>.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with the proposed action.
County Manager Comments
The Ordinance procedures outlined in the Ramsey County Home Rule Charter have been adhered to.
Last Previous Action
On December 1, 2020, the County Board waived the First Reading of the proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance (Resolution B2020-246) and set the public hearing date of December 22, 2020 to take public comments on the proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance (Resolution B2020-247).
Attachments
1. Proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance
2. Proposed Schedule of Events
3. Affidavit of Publication