Here, in part, is what Bodley's report says in opening paragraphs:
A month after questioning Habitat for Humanity policy on single-family home ownership projects, the Anoka County Housing and Redevelopment Authority unanimously approved a $247,804 reallocation of federal HOME affordable housing dollars for one of its proposals.
At its September meeting, the housing authority tabled the Habitat for Humanity request to fund a scattered sites, new construction, single-family home ownership program from the proposed 2014 Twin Cities Habitat or Humanity Huset Park townhomes development, which was canceled after the Columbia Heights City Council rejected the proposal.
One concern centered on the fact that Susan Haigh, who is president and chief executive officer of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is also chairperson of the Metropolitan Council, and HRA members saw a conflict of interest in that.
[...] At one point during the September meeting, a motion was made to deny the request, but County Commissioner Scott Schulte, who chairs the HRA, which comprises six of the seven Anoka County Board members, offered a motion to table to get more information from Habitat for Humanity about its intentions.
[italics added]
A challenge for readers: Stop here, and try to find on the recently revised Anoka County website who is on the county HRA.
Navigate that exceptional site, see for yourself, what your luck is in getting there, to some simple basic information you might want or need to know.
Good luck, if you try it.
Fighting the thing in ways never necessary before the county paid good taxpayer money to have a consultant/contractor horse up the site to where it's downright awful, I finally found the page. I am wondering and trying to find out from my board rep, who decided on changing the website to such an unituitive thing, how the contractor was chosen (and by whom), and the actual cost to county taxpayers that was paid the chosen contractor for making the thing so very much worse.
(Don't just talk about waste, go to that website and experience it firsthand.)
Okay. For readers declining the enlightening experience of navigating the new county website, here is the page link:
https://www.anokacounty.us/429/Trustees
Six board members are on the county HRA, while the "Management Committee" is composed of five. The latter committee members are:
Matt Look
Scott Schulte
Robyn West
Julie Braastad
Carol LeDoux
with Sivarajah a "trustee," but not on the committee, that information is known; odd man out being Kordiak.
God only knows who chairs the management committee, but Schulte is identified as chair of the HRA and may chair both.
Bodley's report continues in part:
At the HRA Management Committee meeting Oct. 14, a representative from Habitat for Humanity explained the project and the HRA also received a letter from Haigh dated Oct. 13 in which she said Habitat for Humanity projects mirror community needs.
“Based on the community needs of Anoka County and available resources, Habitat would be thrilled to continue to partner with Anoka County in the development of scattered sites, new construction homes,” she wrote.
According to Schulte, Habitat for Humanity officials have heard the HRA’s concerns, but the agency’s scattered sites proposal is a good project.
“Habitat for Humanity is on the right track with its scattered sites projects,” Schulte said.
Readers, ask yourself, wouldn't it be nice to know without stress or effort, as part of the report, what in the world the "scattered sites projects" entails? This seems to be it, the in a nutshell version, as settled so far, from the report:
According to Kate Thunstrom, county community development manager, the money would fund housing on two or three properties in the county, but their locations had not yet been identified.
As Republicans, the county reps felt the need for political sniping at a Dayton appointee - they could not resist being themselves that way:
But he [Schulte] said the HRA would be writing a letter to the Habitat for Humanity Board expressing its concern about the “perceived or real conflict of interest” of Haigh being head of Habitat for Humanity as well as chairperson of the Metropolitan Council to “let them know exactly how we feel.”
Bfd.
It is when "they" do such sniping that knowing the full makeup of the group, besides Schulte who is mentioned, is most helpful and relevant as information omitted from the report.
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LAST: Any reader wishing to submit a comment in defense of the quality of the revisions to the county website is invited and urged to do so, (however sparse such invited commentary may prove to be).