SACOG: Elk Grove needs more low-income housing

Report says more than 4,800 very-low income housing units are needed; council offers debt relief on utility bills



By Blake Ellington
Citizen Staff Writer

The Elk Grove City Council – short of two members – got a jolt from the Sacramento Area Council of Government (SACOG) at their July 25 meeting when a report was presented to council members stating that Elk Grove should add an additional 16,208 total housing units by the year 2013 - 4,820 of those being “very-low income” housing.
SACOG has allowed for a 60-day comment period for all of the local jurisdictions under their umbrella of influence to come up with comments as to any disagreements or problems that could arise because of their projected numbers.
Council members requested SACOG officials come back with a more realistic number and to take Elk Grove’s past performance in housing development into consideration.
“I think it’s important that we send a message that we value this exercise, it’s important,” said City Council Member Gary Davis.
Davis said Elk Grove does have housing program fees currently in place that helps get “units on the ground, which really is usually the most significant prohibitor often times to get it when it’s built.”
The regional needs assessment by SACOG was calculated with an overall figure by the state and then distributed to various area cities for further determination on how that figure should be allocated throughout their jurisdictions.
Members of the city council expressed their view that the share of the pie is a little high based on the city’s capacity.
“If you look around at the six counties and 22 cities in the region which SACOG is a part of, Elk Grove has done the best job,” said Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper. “You look at Folsom, Roseville they are way behind us in building affordable housing.”
Council members went on to make note that they aren’t pleased with the way to study was done and how the numbers were compiled by SACOG, which initially planned to take the growth projections out to 2035 and then reverted to 2018 because they wished to overlap other efforts and staff work time.
“We felt like that they actually needed to go back to 2013 which is actually the planning period,” said Jim Carney, housing advisor. “I think the current methodology is better than the first one.”
Council members weren’t convinced.
“We definitely don’t like the result of it,” said City Council Member Pat Hume. “In April there were some concerns raised and it says one of those concerns was that some jurisdictions are doing better than others, and I think we are one of those jurisdictions.”
The city has recently identified some low-income sites and approved the rezone process for these sites.
Council members also requested SACOG respond to these current advancements and that the 16,208 figure be looked at more closely in relation to the city’s capacity. The general consensus was to make other jurisdictions come up with their fair share and to not penalize Elk Grove.
“We are collecting data from the other jurisdictions as to how they have actually been producing units in comparison to Elk Grove’s and we will get back to you when have it complete,” Carney said.
In other business in a short meeting, the members of the city council sympathized with late utility bill payments.
The delinquent utility payment report was brought forward to the council, members to be approved and sent to the county of Sacramento for collection. The list of customers in question have not made payments on solid waste and storm water utility charges for 10 months and have liens attached to their properties as a result.
Though it was acknowledged by the council that the majority of those customers have been initially dodging payments, exceptions were made for individuals with certain life circumstances that put them in a tight financial spot.
Kathy Nguyn, a college student in attendance on behalf of her mother and father who speak little English, stood in front of council to voice one such circumstance.
“I am currently not working, I am going to school and so my parents actually have to pay for my college tuition, my school books and my rent, so it’s super hard for them to pay for all these expenses,” Nguyn said. “We are were hoping for an extension if possible.”
Nguyn and her family just moved into their Elk Grove house not that long ago from a studio in a bad neighborhood. Her mother, who stood by her side at the podium while her daughter took it upon herself to explain their hardships, had been seeking a job transfer from Walgreen’s for a full time position but has yet to receive it. Her father is dealing with mental health issues and diabetes.
“Every time we did make a payment we would have to pay our late charges, so instead of paying the bill we were paying our late charges,” Nguyn said.
The family was requesting an extension on the payments due, thus to avoid collection requirements from the county.
The collection process, headed by city Utilities Billing Manager Bonnie Puleo, is in its second year and currently is seeking to collect about $576,000 in past due bills. The customers had received three to five notifications of their late charges up until this point.
Nguyn continued to vouch for her family’s diligence in attempting to make prior payments on time.
“We paid every single bill on time, if you go back in our history,” Nguyn said.
Council members, with a nod of understanding, took the college student’s effort to heart and agreed for Puleo to make arrangements for an extension and payment plan.
“In some cases we have adjusted our late fees as they make those payments depending on the situation, we are always willing to work with them,” Puleo said.
Davis mentioned a similar request from another resident made in person to the city clerk earlier that day.
“I’d just like to ask that we also reach out to this gentlemen,” Davis said.
As for the other customers on the list provided by staff, council members felt that the program is needed for the county to receive the money due.
“A lot of them just ignore the bill, but you have some cases where people just can’t afford it,” Cooper said. “We are also aware of that, too.”
The Elk Grove Municipal Code states that any solid waste and storm water utility charges that remain unpaid for 60 days can be collected as a “special assessment on the residential parcel.”
The collection program received a 100 percent recovery rate last year.
“That’s not bad,” Davis said.
Council voted 3-0 to send the report to the county for collections barring payment plans be coordinated with the requesting parties.
In other action, a General Plan amendment, specific plan amendment, and rezone to the Waterman Park 75 project based on the Elk Grove Planning Commission’s recommendations was also approved in a 3-0. vote
For more information on the meeting visit www.elkgrovecity.org.