Darien staff recommends reconstituting Affordable Housing Trust Fund committee to unlock funds

Town Administrator Jennifer Charneski asked the Board of Selectmen to reconstitute the Darien Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee so the town can resume spending money held in the trust for affordable housing purposes.

In a memo included in the Aug. 31 packet, Charneski wrote that Chapter 55 of the Town Code establishes the fund as a perpetual trust to support affordable housing and that the last distribution from the fund occurred in 2019. "Absent this action, the Town will be unable to expend the funds currently held in the Trust for their intended affordable housing purposes," the memo says. The memo recommends the Board adopt a revised charge and membership and then appoint members.

Exhibit 1 in the packet proposes a five‑member committee appointed by the Board of Selectmen, with the First Selectman and the Chair of the Darien Housing Authority serving as ex‑officio members. The committee’s listed duties include monitoring the trust balance, evaluating potential uses of funds, meeting community stakeholders, and coordinating with the Connecticut Department of Housing.

If the Board votes to update the committee’s charge and membership, expenditure recommendations from the reconstituted committee would still need subsequent approval by the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting, per Section 55‑3(b)(2) of the Town Code. The packet notes that contributions to the trust were received in 2025 and additional contributions are expected in coming months, making the reconstitution a prerequisite to moving the funds into projects or acquisitions.