Affordable housing has been a priority for the advocacy group, with their quest reinvigorated after previous reporting by the Tallahassee Democrat, which found that over 1,000 students within the Leon County School District were homeless.
Commissioners were torn on the idea of shifting funding already been set aside for other purposes, so they compromised, agreeing to revisit it at upcoming budget workshops.
Commissioners not convinced of plan ‘they don’t know well’
County Administrator Vince Long provided information to the commission before they got started with their hours-long discussion. He mentioned how pushing back resurfacing projects, being funded in the capital improvement budget, could turn from small projects into rebuilding road beds and more.
Long said the county does have funding for affordable housing, that is, money from the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program. He offered that rather than making a financial decision immediately, commissioners could discuss SHIP funds, general revenue funds and more at their workshops.
Commissioner Nick Maddox agreed: “What is three to six more months, more conversation, to see if we can come up with something that’s not like Pinellas (County), that is unique to Leon County.”
Commissioner David O’Keefe moved to just follow through with CAJM’s proposal instead of delaying the process, even referring to the struggles CAJM has faced at the city and Blueprint.
CAJM “is not just some small group who decided we need something. This is the most thoughtful, thought out, apolitical community advocacy organization I’ve seen for housing and I found no reason that we shouldn’t learn to start finding a reason to say yes, instead of finding ways to say no,” he said.
O’Keefe’s substitute motion failed 2-5, with Commissioner Bill Proctor joining him to support CAJM’s initial proposal. In the end the board voted 6-1, with Proctor in dissent, for Maddox’s motion to bring the idea up again later.
County decision an inconclusive end to long struggle
In their visits to the County Courthouse, CAJM members have shared their story of the several closed doors they’ve experienced in their quest to help solve the county’s affordable housing crisis.
They first went to the City Commission in June 2023, the same meeting where the city voted to increase their property tax rate, to ask that they set aside $5 million a year for a financial incentive program. Mayor John Dailey asked the group to try at Blueprint instead.
At the beginning of last year and the tail end of 2023, CAJM approached Blueprint to see if funding from the agency could go towards affordable housing. Despite their attempt, in May they failed to get enough support for a substantial amendment to Blueprint’s list of voter-approved projects.
According to the county website, the first budget workshop is scheduled for June.
