Second in a series
Re “Housing Broke: Mehaul Insists on Rescuing 54 Elderly, Disabled”
[img]1307|right|Meghan Sahli-Wells||no_popup[/img]No one on the City Council knows how the Housing Division’s fiscal emergency is going to turn out. “But all of us agree,” said Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells, “that not funding it is not an option.”
Two nights ago, the Council ordered city staffers to pursue all potential ongoing revenue streams.
“Grants are not off the table,” said the mayor, “but we need to find something more permanent” to filling a gaping $1.2 million annual budget.
In an emergency, Ms. Sahli-Wells raised the prospect of dipping into the usually-off-limits general fund. “I am just saying if we do turn to the general fund,” she said, “what would the tradeoff be? What would have to be sacrificed to keep the Housing programs intact?
“My hope is that we would be able to leverage funding from other sources.”
Ms. Sahli-Wells recalled that City Manager John Nachbar suggested development fees could heal a portion of the crisis. She doesn’t want to count on that. “We are asking staff to find other sources,” the mayor said. “Obviously we are not the only community in this situation.”
Ms. Sahli-Wells said utilizing the general fund is a final resort. “We run a pretty tight ship,” she said. “In the last several years, we have gone through a lot of cutbacks. We have trimmed the fat. At the same time, this is a priority.”
Perhaps the strongest political liberal on the dais, Ms. Sahli-Wells said “I am glad that my colleagues on the Council see funding (assisted) Housing as a priority as well.”
The Council is in a holding pattern, said the mayor, “because we need to see more data, to look at all possibilities.”
