Committee approves initial staffing package for ULA programs, adds auditor position

The committee voted to approve an initial staffing package to support implementation of 11 ULA programs and to add an audit role to the CEO-recommended list.

United House presenters told the committee the programs are in rapid implementation and that staff are overstretched: "each staff member has worked an average of 23 hours of overtime," Kelly Harding said while outlining the staffing request. Earlier materials had asked for up to 109 positions; staff and the CEO's office recommended phasing hires and prioritized a subset of 43 positions for the current fiscal cycle, funded from the Affordable Housing Fund.

Why it matters: The committee concluded that additional staffing is necessary to run NOFAs, manage contracts and monitor compliance for multiple new programs. City fiscal staff cautioned that approving positions too early conflicts with policy and budget processes and that the full cost exceeds current-year projections; members asked for a hiring timeline and budget refinement.

Outcome: Members added an auditor/audit position to the CEO-recommended list and approved the modified staffing package. The committee voted 4to approve the modification and instructed staff to return with final budget numbers and implementation timing.