Town Board hears hard facts about housing
Town Board hears about regional housing issues
Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress CEO Adam Bosch presented information on the state of affordable housing in the nine-county Hudson Valley region that includes Columbia County. His presentation was geared to inform the board’s formation of a housing committee for the town.
Bosch concluded that the supply and demand for housing for many workers in the nine-county region are sorely mismatched. The lack of affordable workforce housing, along with inadequate options to train for available employment locally, means that the existing labor force here is decreasing, with implications for the local economy.
Bosch said that most employed people who spend more than 25% of their income on housing have significant financial strains, especially if they also need to pay for childcare services and have personal debt, including student debt. This is true for both first-time home buyers and renters; the average wage earner in Columbia County cannot afford to live here, and minimum wage earners are at a greater disadvantage, as they pay a greater proportion of their income for housing. He said that these financial realities are related to decreased county population overall; workers are moving out of the county and having fewer children to accommodate to economic realities.
Bosch said that solutions to these issues require that the government create conditions where more affordable housing is created. He said, “Zoning is a powerful tool” that can open up new options for less expensive housing in the area. He also said that is it essential that resident workers have access to additional training and job services to secure better employment, so that their incomes are enhanced and are matched to the identified needs in the local economy.
The town board will be interviewing volunteer applicants in coming weeks to populate the town Housing Committee, which is expected to collaborate with the Columbia County efforts to increase options county-wide.
In other news:
The board approved using a proportion of the $325,229.00 received from the American Rescue Plan Act (related to assisting communities affected by Covid) to address two needs:
A total of $32,058.00 will be shared by town employees who were employed from 3/31/20 to 4/1/21 in the form of an hourly premium bonus for hours worked as essential employees.
An aggregate of $36,000.00 will be distributed to local fire and rescue squads that serve the town, including the Chatham, North Chatham, East Chatham, Tri-Village, Niverville, and Red Rock Fire Departments; and the Chatham and Valatie Rescue Squads.
The board heard that the Comprehensive Plan Update Review Committee has met several times, and has sent comments and recommendations to the planner. Councilwoman Mesick said she anticipates revisions to the plan will be returned to the committee for review. There is no firm date as yet on when the plan will be available for a public hearing and consideration by the full town board.