Fiscal Year 2004 Proposed Budget

Section K - Community Planning, Housing and Development

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY PLANNING, HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION
GENERAL DIVISION SECTION

PROGRAM MISSION: To meet Arlington's housing and community revitalization needs, in partnerships that empower our diverse community.

The Housing and Community Development Division serves as the focal point for the County's housing effort. County activities to address the community's housing needs are comprehensive and varied, and involve multiple departments and funding sources. Each department provides the technical expertise, coordination and support needed to effectively carry out those programs. The Division coordinates and integrates those housing activities by chairing the County's inter-departmental Housing Coordination Team and the Affordable Housing Staff Team that oversee the affordable housing effort. The Division also represents County housing positions at the state, federal and regional levels. A table following the General Division section helps to identify the County's overall budgetary support for housing and lists all of the County's housing programs and their proposed funding levels. The County spends $28.6 million on housing, of which $10.63 million are local funds. (In FY 2003 the housing development staff will be transferred from the Department of Economic Development to join the housing staff in a new organization in the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.)

The Division is also directly responsible for three major program areas: Housing Planning, Housing Services, and the federally funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. Descriptions of the Housing Planning and Housing Services program areas follow the inter-departmental housing budget. The federally funded Community Development Block Grant Program provides over $2.2 million for housing, neighborhood, and economic development activities that principally benefit low and moderate income persons. The Division provides the overall management and administration of the federally-funded CDBG Program, including support to the Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee and the County's Cooperation Agreement with the City of Falls Church. The description of the CDBG Program, budget information, staffing and performance measures are included in the Section on Special Revenue Funds (Section O).

SIGNIFICANT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:

The Division's overall management and one administrative support staff position are funded under CDBG planning and administration in Section O, and therefore, not displayed here. The General Division Section budget includes funding for personnel costs of fifty percent of a planner position, with the other fifty percent charged to the CDBG enterprise fund, and an administrative position that supports both Housing Planning and Housing Services. Non-personnel costs support the work of General Fund staff in the full Division. These costs include telephone charges, travel, training, print shop charges, and other operating expenditures along with the General Fund support to the Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC).

• In FY 2004, personnel costs do not include funding to cover COLA and other benefit adjustments for CDBG funded staff. An adjustment was approved for FY 2003.

• The increase in FY 2004 non-personnel costs reflects higher costs for telephone charges.

• The FY 2002 non-personnel expenditures included the Arna Valley Tenant Assistance Fund.

FUTURE BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS:

• Decreasing federal funding for the CDBG Program and regulatory limits on use of the funds for planning and administration may require future General Fund support for management, planning and administrative costs of the Housing and Community Development Division and the Office of Neighborhood Services currently covered by the grant.

FY 2004 COUNTY HOUSING PROGRAMS

County housing activities are varied and involve several departments and funding sources. This table is provided to help identify the County's FY 2004 budget for housing and where these programs/activities are located in the County's budget. The numbers are estimates and are only one tool for looking at the County's housing effort. Some activities are included within larger budget units and the portion devoted to housing is approximate. Some also have additional funding carried over from prior years.

* The staff of the housing grant program also supports the tax relief program.

** The cost of the tax relief program is estimated at $1,495,800 in foregone revenue and is not included in the budget as an allocation.