Council amends AHAC rules to reflect state changes, staff estimates SHIP funding near $700K

The Boca Raton City Council on March 26 approved Ordinance 56-91 to amend the city code governing the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) so it conforms to recent changes in Chapter 420 of the Florida Statutes.

Theresa McClurg, community improvement administrator, summarized the changes: the committee’s membership will be reduced from 11 to 9, one member must be a locally elected official with a one-year term, the remaining members will serve three-year terms, and the committee must include representatives from six of the statutorily enumerated categories. McClurg said the AHAC will now be required to conduct an annual review in years when the state allocates more than the minimum SHIP threshold of $350,000.

On likely funding, McClurg told the council staff estimates the city’s SHIP allocation at "somewhere between $700,000 and $740,000." Council members asked about appointment logistics and residency requirements; McClurg said the ordinance offers flexibility to appoint qualified candidates and that staff recommends making the elected-official appointment at the city’s organizational meeting. The council approved the ordinance by a unanimous 5-0 roll-call vote.