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262 <br /> <br /> Mr. Caravati said he sees commonality in goals and found the data and <br />benchmarking comments intriguing. Mr. Caravati said he thinks an important benchmark <br />will be future service sharing with Albemarle County. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said that economic development and job creation are emerging as <br />important, long-term objectives, with a focus on the technology industry. Mr. Cox said <br />he heard an extended commitment to work on having healthy neighborhoods. <br /> <br />Council took a break for dinner. <br /> <br />WORK SESSION: CI-L4RLOTTESVILLE REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING <br />AUTHORITY COMPOSITION <br /> <br /> Ms. Daugherty said that she is interested in having an interim five-member Board <br />of Commissioners for the Housing Authority, made up of the two citizen members whose <br />terms have not expired and three Councilors. Ms~ Daugherty said that this Board <br />composition would continue through the hiring of a ne~v Executive Director and through <br />the process of holding community discussions on the future focus of the Housing <br />Authority. Ms. Daugherty said that she would not favor any other major change in the <br />Board make-up at this time. Ms. Daugherty noted that the five-member Board would <br />require an ordinance amendment. <br /> <br />Mr. Toscano said that the ordinance could be adopted with a sunset provision. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox asked what the objective was of having five members as opposed to <br />keeping seven. <br /> <br /> Ms. Daugherty said that there have been many different suggestions for the future <br />Board, including having separate boards for housing and redevelopment and having a <br />separate advisory board for residents of public housing. Ms. Daugherty said she feels it <br />would be better to stabilize the Board until these decisions can be made. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano said that whatever Council does, it should send a clear signal that it <br />is important to have community involvement on the Board in some form. Mr. Toscano <br />recommended that the Housing Authority be asked to set aside money to train residents <br />on how to be Commissioners and what it means. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said Council should be clear on how it wants the community to <br />participate. Mr. Cox said that in a seven-member Board with three Councilors and four <br />citizens Council can't exercise power, but if it goes to a five-member Board with three <br />Councilors and two citizens, it sends a message that Council feels citizens can't do the <br />job. Mr. Cox said he has advocated for expanding citizens' role on the Board. Mr. Cox <br />said he believes Council brings an inherent conflict by sitting on the Board. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano asked Mr. Cox why he feels Council has a conflict on the Board, and <br />Mr. Cox said that it creates a hierarchy and a situation where the citizens are deferring to <br />those who can control decision making. <br /> <br /> Ms, Daugherty said that she is concerned about the opposite effect, that of having <br />a Board that is not aligned enough with City policies. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox noted that there is no regular contact between the Housing Authority and <br />Council such as exists with the School Board and Planning Commission. <br /> <br /> Mr. Caravati said he sees a temporary Board as different than one for the long- <br />term. Mr. Caravati said that a future Board could have no Councilors. Mr. Caravati said <br />he would view the five-member Board as a caretaker board created in order to guide the <br />hiring of the executive director and discussion of future direction for the Authority. Mr. <br />Caravati said that it might be preferable to have one board that is solely concerned with <br />subsidized housing in the City. <br /> <br /> <br />