County poised to support new valley-wide Housing Authority

Waiting for the towns to commit

The Board of County Commissioners is ready to support the creation of a new valley-wide housing authority—provided that the municipalities all sign on as well. The Gunnison Valley Housing Authority would replace the Gunnison County Housing Authority and give the county, the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte and the city of Gunnison equal representation on its board.

The commissioners reviewed a draft Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on May 22, which gives each municipality and the county two positions on the governing board. At least one of those seats must be an elected official, and once appointed, the eight members will collectively vote on a ninth member.
County Manager Matthew Birnie, who has been helping spearhead the reevaluation of the authority, said the model was largely patterned after the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA).
“The interest that folks had was in an RTA-like model because that’s perceived as a good way to have a forum for separate municipalities,” said Birnie.
The impetus for the change came after the resignation of the former executive director, when the towns expressed a desire to have a larger voice in the authority. Birnie said requiring elected officials to be part of the board makeup helps avoid miscommunication across the valley.
“It ensures that the Housing Authority is responsive to the needs of the towns directly and that the council members and commissioners have a good handle on what it’s doing and guide it in a way that meets needs of jurisdictions,” said Birnie.
Gunnison has already approved the IGA and agreed to commit $30,000 to the annual budget. On May 22 the commissioners declared their intent to sign as well, committing $90,000 from the county budget. According to Commissioner Phil Chamberland, they’re simply waiting to sign the document until after Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte town councils have had a chance to review it and request any changes. He believes the changes are a step in the right direction for affordable housing in the Gunnison Valley.
“It makes this a community function rather than a department of the county, which it has become,” Chamberland said. “We’ll have a broader spectrum of governance as far as people having an equal say in terms of how the organization forms.”
Commissioner Paula Swenson echoed that sentiment, adding that the new Housing Authority will be well-poised to partner with the newly formed Gunnison Valley Housing Foundation. The foundation can apply for grants not available to the Housing Authority.
“Say there’s a property in Mt. Crested Butte that would be good to utilize for long-term [affordable housing] rentals but it needs some work. The foundation could go after grant dollars to help do the restoration,” Swenson explained.
Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte are expected to review the IGA in June, but in the meantime Birnie is moving forward with hiring a new executive director. He said there is a strong pool of applicants, and he hopes to have representatives from each of the municipalities form a subcommittee to narrow down applicants, and then have the new Housing Authority board make the final hiring decision.
“Ultimately, this person will report directly to that board, so I really want to make sure we hire somebody who’s a good fit for that board,” Birnie said.
The commissioners are expected to sign the IGA on June 19, which will represent a commitment to fund the Housing Authority for at least three years.
“If we’re going to hire a director and have them move into town, possibly from somewhere else, we don’t want them to have uncertainty,” Chamberand said. “Our assumption is it’ll be ongoing, a good organization and good work but at least a three-year commit is what we’re looking for because we spent time and energy putting a structure into it.”