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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009/01/06-Minutes-HEDC CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Present: Council Member Jungus Jordan, Chairman Council Member Carter Burdette, Vice Chairman Mayor Mike Moncrief Council Member Salvador Espino Council Member Frank Moss Council Member Joel Burns Absent: Mayor Pro tem Kathleen Hicks Council Member Danny Scarth City Staff: Tom Higgins, Assistant City Manager Peter Vaky, Assistant City Attorney Marty Hendrix, City Secretary Jay Chapa, Director of Housing and Economic Development Department Kirk Slaughter, Director of Public Events Department Karen Meunier, Housing Program Manager, Housing and Economic Development Department Jerome Walker, Deputy Director, Housing and Economic Development Department Ardina Washington, Economic Development Manager, Housing and Economic Development Department Other City Staff in Attendance: Dale Fisseler, City Manager Karen Montgomery, Assistant City Manager Carl Smart, Executive Assistant to the City Manager(arrived at 1:12 p.m.) Darlene Allen, City Auditor Lena Ellis, Finance Director Vicki Ganske, Senior Assistant City Attorney, Legal Department Mark Folden, Business Development Coordinator, Housing and Economic Development Department LeAnn Guzman, Assistant City Attorney, Legal Department Cynthia Garcia, Community Development Manager, Housing and Economic Development Department Henry Day. Senior Management Analyst, Housing and Economic Development Department Charlie Price, Planning Manager, Housing and Economic Development Department CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 2 of 25 Donald Cager, Program Manager, Housing and Economic Development Department Vanessa Boling, Director of Community Relations Department Guests: Johnny Campbell, Chairman of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau David DuBois, President and CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau Luke Harry, Field Office Manager, Federal Housing Administration With a quorum of the committee members present, Chairman Jungus Jordan called the meeting of the Housing and Economic Committee to order at 1:09 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, in the Pre-Council Chamber of the Fort Worth Municipal Building, 1000 Throckmorton, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. Approval of Minutes of the December 2, 2008, Housing and Economic Development Committee (Agenda Item 2) Chairman Jordan opened the floor for a motion on the approval of the minutes. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Council Member Espino and seconded by Council Member Burdette, the Committee Members voted five (5) "ayes" and zero (0) "nays", with Mayor Moncrief temporarily absent and Mayor Pro tem Hicks and Council Member Scarth absent, to approve the minutes of the December 2, 2008, Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting. The motion carried unanimously. Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (Agenda Item 3) Kirk Slaughter, Director of Public Events, provided flattering comments about the leadership and employees of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and introduced one of the guest speakers Mr. Johnny Campbell, Chairman of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Mr. Campbell expressed his appreciation to the City officials for their support and their service on their Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. He spoke before the committee on their role which was to serve as the official destination marketing organization for the City of Fort Worth, including meetings, conventions and tourism. He stated that they were looking to maximize the economic benefit to the City of Fort Worth and thereby enhance the overall tax base through the introduction of hotel and sales tax collections by securing business that would maximize the use of the Fort Worth Convention Center, other local meeting facilities AWL CITY OF FORT WORTH ® HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 3 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) and the City's hotels. Mr. Campbell explained that the CVB also wanted to ensure that both the meeting space and guest rooms, as well as restaurants, attractions, venues, transportation, retail and other related business segments, capitalized on the strength of the City's hospitality industry. He also pointed out that they wanted to enhance the City's overall quality of life through community relations initiatives that would generate awareness of the significance of the local hospitality industry. Mr. Campbell introduced David DuBois, President and CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors' Bureau. Mr. DuBois began his presentation with a review of a comprehensive chart showing the Destination Marketing Association International Strategic Map. He explained the chart to the committee. The top of the chart was titled: Visitor Centric "Strategic Map" for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and showed their goal of informing, educating and advising the visitor. The components of that goal were the travel • mavens and the publishers/advertisers. The DMO's role was to inform, educate and advise the visitor. The left side of the chart showed their mission of marketing and selling to the visitor. The important components of that were the DMO sales team, the convention sales, the local organizers, out-of-town organizers, event management firms, group/tour packagers, conference exhibitors and travel resellers. The DMO's role was to advise and support marketers. The right side of the chart showed delivering services to the visitor. Those components included the airlines/transport, tour operators, hotels/lodging, other local visitor services, visitor attractions and destination infrastructure. The DMO's role was to advocate the total visitor experience. At the bottom of the chart was the purpose of developing the destination. Those components included the local governments, industry partners, and community leaders. The DMO's role was to support and develop the destination strategy. Mr. DuBois talked about becoming an official certified DMO organization. Mr. DuBois advised that the Fort Worth CVB worked with various organizations on the international, state and local levels. The CVB's involvement in those organizations continued to enhance Fort Worth's reputation as a leader in the meetings, conventions, and tourism industries. The international organizations were: Destination Marketing Association International— Board of Directors Meeting Professionals International Foundation — Board of Trustees Professional Convention Management Association Green Meetings Task Force CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 4 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) The state organizations were: Texas Society of Association Executives—Board of Directors Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus The local organizations were: Arts Council of Tarrant County Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial: Marketing Committee Dallas Fort Worth Area Tourism Council: Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Marketing Committee Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.: Board of Directors and Marketing Committee Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce Historic Fort Worth, Inc. Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival Mayor's Task Force: Aviation Museum Mayor's Task Force: Modern Streetcar National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering Marketing Committee Stockyards Business Association Mr. DuBois reviewed important events from an historical perspective that had occurred in the City. Those events were: • Renovated and expanded $75 million convention center • New and renovated hotels in downtown; (1,250 rooms) • 1,500+ new restaurant seats downtown alone to • Trinity River Vision, Lancaster Corridor, 7 Street Development, Museum Expansions, Gateway Park...to name a few City enhancements • CVB budget was $4.9 million (3% increases annually prior to 2007) • April 2007: request for additional $2 million (37% increase) was submitted, bringing the total budget to S6.9 million CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 5 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) • September 2007: City Council approved budget increase and new five (5) year contract with the CVB and new sales/marketing plans began October, 2007 He then reviewed statistical information on the meeting sales as follows: Definite Room Nights (Actual/Goal) • 2006/2007: 129,000 (Actual) • 2007/2008: 250,000 (Goal) • 2007/2008: 258,000 (Actual) = approximately$52 million (room revenue only) • Variance: 100% increase He presented the team highlights as follows: • • Meetings market lead volume was up significantly (over double last year) due to additional new hotel inventory, overall increased interest in the destination and the addition of five new meetings sales positions at the CVB • Established three City Partnerships with CVB's in Baltimore and Sacramento • Launched Hometown Heroes program, presented by Chesapeake Energy Mr. DuBois explained the Hometown Heroes program in detail, which would provide leads for future conventions for various organizations. Mr. DuBois spoke about their marketing communications as follows: Media Value (Actual/Goal) • 2006/2007: $1.5 million (Actual) • 2007/2008: $1.6 million (Goal) • 2007/2008: $2.4 million (Actual) • Variance: 149% increase He spoke about the team highlights as follows: • Investing over $200,000 to upgrade sales, marketing, and web site technology: hired Web !Marketing !Manager (additional statt) • Hosted or met with 105 journalists during 2007 2008 (Goal of 60) CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 6 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) He presented the group tourism sales information as follows: Definite Room Nights (Actual/Goal) • 2006/2007: 2,000 (Actual) • 2007/2008: 2,500 (Goal) • 2007/2008: 2,649 (Actual) • Variance: 66% increase He presented the related team highlights as follows: • Developed new packages for golf, shopping, annual events, and festivals • Launched "Visit DFW" Initiative: DFW International Airport and Dallas CVB ($5 million) • Received positive client feedback: consistently rank as "very good to excellent" visitor experiences (based upon survey results) • Partnered with DFWATC to develop Certified Tourism Ambassador program At this time, Mr. DuBois talked about the City of Fort Worth's participation in the Super Bowl XLV event in 2011 that would be held at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium being built in Arlington, Texas. He explained how the above issues would contribute to a successful event. Mr. DuBois spoke before the committee on the research they had prepared for the Texas Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism, by Dean Runyan & Associates, showing the following Fort Worth economic impact data for 2007: • 5.4 million visitors stayed 10.1 million days • Visitor spending had a total economic impact of$1.2 billion • Visitor spending supports over 12,000 jobs with wage earnings over $340 million • An estimated 2.5 million hotel room nights were sold • Visitor spending contributed over $30 million in total local tax revenue ($17 million from hotel room tax alone) • Estimated average daily per person spending was $91 • Overnight visitors average daily spending was $174 He then presented the Calendar 2008 Results: January 1 - November 30. 2008 (Source: Smith Travel Research) CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 7 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) • Total USA: • Occupancy: -4.0% • Average room rate: +2.8% • Total supply: +2.6% • **Total demand: +1.5% • **Total room revenues: +1.2% • Entire City of Fort Worth(11,000 rooms): • Occupancy -2.5% • Average room rate: +5.7% • Total supply: +7.0% • **Total demand: +4.3% • **Total room revenues: +10.3% ($227 million) • Downtown Fort Worth(1,868) • Occupancy: -6.7% • Average room rate: +0.3% • Total supply: +25.8% • **Total demand: +17.4% • **Total room revenues: +17.8% ($55 million) Mr. DuBois provided the following information for moving forward in FY 2008/2009. He spoke about the downturn in the economic conditions being experienced nationwide and how it might impact the City. He advised of the CVB moving their offices into the Woolworth Building at 111 West Fourth Street on the Second Floor. He pointed out that the visitor center was still located on the corner of Throckmorton until May 2009 when they would debut the new Fort Worth Center next to the Jubilee Center on Main Street. Meeting Sales/Definite Room Nights (Actual/Goal): • 2007/2008: 258,000 (Actual) • 2008/2009: 300,000 (Goal) Marketing Communications/Media Value (Actual/Goal): • 2007 2008: S2.4 million (Actual) CITY OF FORT WORTH Afflbk HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 qW Page 8 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) • 2008/2009: $2.6 million (Goal) Group Tourism Sales/Definite Room Nights (Actual/Goal): • 2007/2008: 2,649 (Actual) • 2008/2009: 3,000 (Goal) Mr. DuBois pointed out that it was: "It's All About the Money." He provided new information on the latest hotel being built and ready to open in Fort Worth, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. He provided the following information: • Opens January 12, 2009 • Approximately 100,000 Definite Room Nights for 2009 (120,000 guests) • Approximately 250,000 Definite Room Nights total (2009 and beyond) • Approximately 75% of meetings are "new to Fort Worth business" with $16 million in room revenues • $1.4 million in new city room tax revenue • 400+ new jobs He provided information on the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa • Opened June 2008 • Approximately 23,000 Definite Room Nights for 2009 (27,600 guests) • Approximately 53,000 Definite Room Nights total (2009 and beyond) • Approximately 60% of meetings are "new to Fort Worth business " with $3.5 million in room revenues • $300,000 in new city room tax revenue • 150+ new jobs Mr. DuBois concluded his presentation and recognized his staff members that were present in the audience: John Cycle, Vice President of Meeting Sales, Barbara Stone, Vice President of Services and Community Relations and Kelly Campbell, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Chairman Jordan opened the floor for comments and/or questions. CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 9 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) Mayor Moncrief stated that he felt the presentation was positive and indicative of the City of Fort Worth having a unique position in difficult financial times. He stated that this position should not be taken for granted. He felt that the focus needed to be maintained and that measureable quantifiable information, based on the activities that they were engaged in, needed to be closely watched. He added that he also felt that the most should be made of the additional funds that have been placed in the budget. He added that it was clear to him that those dollars were generating revenues. He pointed out that he felt those additional revenues were going to keep taxes down. Mayor Moncrief posed a question to Mr. DuBois regarding a suggestion for creation of a single museum ticket for groups that travel to Fort Worth on a bus so that visitors could see all of the museums for one price. He explained that he was not fully aware of what it would take to get there or what turfs had to be rearranged, but he would like to see it happen. He felt it would be a benefit to the museums and a unique opportunity for museum lovers. Mr. Dubois indicated that he was pleased to report that his staff was working with the Arts Council. He advised of communications that he had with the new President of the Arts Council, Jody Ulich, and that they were close partners in developing this type of package. He added that Ms. Ulich had advised him that she was getting close in getting the political landscape taken care with her members. He stated that next two weeks they would be working with other partners in the Metroplex in putting this package together. Council Member Burdette spoke about his service on the Executive Committee of the CVB Board for the last four years and that it was a pleasure to attend those meetings and see what positive results that were occurring. Council Member Burdette stated that he felt that they were the advertising arm of the City in so far as getting people to come to Fort Worth and seeing what the City had to offer to visitors and tourists. He added that he felt it was important for the CVB to continue its good work and that the City Council needed to continue its all out support for the CVB. Council Member Burdette indicated that with the additional hotel space, that placed the City in a good position to attractive more visitors. He pointed out that the lack of adequate hotel space had been a problem for the City in the past for attracting the larger and more frequent conventions. Council Member Burdette commended Mr. DuBois on his work and the team of staff members that he had put together. Mayor Moncrief expressed appreciation to Council Member Burdette for his service on that committee. Council Member Espino also expressed appreciation for the presentation and to Mr. Campbell, Mr. DuBois and the rest of the staff members and the board members for their excellent job. He stated that he was a�N'are of the global down turn in the economy issue: CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Aft JANUARY 6, 2009 qW Page 10 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) however, he was curious about the marketing of the Fort Worth brand to the Mexico and Latin American tourists to encourage them to visit Fort Worth. He pointed out that the DFW Airport had a program and the City was part of that effort. He advised of visiting the City Sister of Toluca, Mexico, and he did not feel that the City was leveraging on those visits with a tourism component. He stated that Toluca was a large city of 1,000,000 people and the Mexico City Metropolis was probably one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina. He stated that he felt that when people from Mexico thought of Texas they thought of San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. He wanted their thoughts to be of Fort Worth. He added he also served on the Fort Worth Stock Show Hispanic Advisory Committee. He talked about a visit to the Mexican State of Zacatecas. He stated that there was a group of immigrants from Zacatecas that had a strong charro tradition and he wondered if there was leveraging that could be done with the Stock Show. He stated that when they thought of stock shows and rodeos, they thought of Houston and San Antonio rather than the City's own Fort Worth Stock Show. He suggested that the CVB work with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Stock Show people to really leverage the City's cowboy/charro connections to Toluca and Mexico City. Council Member Espino questioned what else was being done to attract Latin American tourists. He asked about the Texas Motor Speedway and what was being done to market those events. He also asked about how the marketing was being done to attract visitors to the Stockyards. Mr. DuBois spoke about Latin American tourism first. He stated that they were in final negotiations with tour operators across Mexico. He stated that they had been working closely with Mae Ferguson, President and CEO of the Fort Worth Sisters Cities International Organization on Mexico but really for all of the seven cities that were sister cities to Fort Worth. He stated that they were also looking to China, with direct flights that may occur in 2010. He stated that they were working with the tour operators that put together the tour packets that they wanted to promote and advertise in the communities around Mexico City. He reiterated that they were working on this as of this time. He added that he and his staff would take Council Member Espino's interest as an accelerator for this project. Mr. DuBois referenced the Texas Motor Speedway and stated that what they were doing for those venues was working well. He pointed out that they worked with Eddie Gossage and his team. He pointed out that his staff member Kelly Campbell worked well with them. He talked about hosting an media event, which was a luncheon and they received great exposure with the media and that they made sure to say that it was Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and not elsewhere. Mr. DuBois spoke about doing the same thing in May for the Colonial Golf Tournament and hosting media luncheons inside the Colonial that would highlight the City. Mr. DuBois spoke about the Stockyards and that a record number of visitors continued to come to that area. He talked about doing some brain storming to CITY OF FORT WORTH 0 HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 11 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) bring visitors that were attending the Cotton Bowl event, which would be moving to the new stadium on Arlington, to come over to Sundance Square and the Stockyards rather than the West End in Dallas. Council Member Espino referenced the comments made by Mayor Moncrief about the museums and the Arts Council. He spoke about the number of wonderful small and mid-size arts groups and organizations and he wondered how they were being marketed so that visitors could enjoy those wonderful performances and exhibits. Mr. DuBois advised that on a quarterly basis his staff worked with the Arts Council to update their visitor information on the web site and they were going to a new format that listed these events on a quarterly basis so that the information was more relevant. He added that they were putting out more frequent publications and reaching out to see what venues were out there. Chairman Jordan also expressed appreciation for the presentation. He stated that he shared the expressed enthusiasm because it had been a great year and the investment that had been made by the citizens of Fort Worth had paid off. He talked about the increased business in Fort Worth and that the tide had risen in the whole region as there had been other hotels to open and other new venues added. He pointed out that Fort Worth had been able to increase business without the detriment to other cities in the region. Chairman Jordan went on to point out the number of events that would impact the region not just a particular city when the new stadium was completed in Arlington. Mr. DuBois talked about the aggressive approach that his staff was taking to be part of any new large event that was coming to the area. He point out that their approach was that the visitors needed to come west and not go east. Chairman Jordan agreed that the aggressive approach would be necessary as new events are coming forward. Council Member Moss spoke about attracting Black Conventions to the City. He stated at one point it had been stated that the City had very little to offer related to specific venues for the people attending the conventions. He stated that he felt the City had a number of tourist destination places that highlighted the Black Americans' contributions. He posed the question to Mr. DuBois as to what they were doing to attract those types of conventions because it would be a very lucrative market. Mr. DuBois explained that his staff was working with the Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce through an annual partnership agreement in that endeavor. Mr. Dubois' staff indicated that they were working on the convention for 2010 of the National Alliance of Black School Educators in Fort Worth, which would attract 1300 people with 6600 room nights. Mr. DuBois went on to explain that they were working with the Metropolitan Black Chamber and the Hispanic Chamber to make sure that the CVB goes to their trade shows. He added for the first year they %%ent with the Black Chamber representatives to the CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 12 of 25 Briefing on the 2008 Fiscal Year End Report for the Convention and Visitors Bureau (cont'd) (Agenda Item 3) Congressional Black Caucus and generated four or five opportunities. He added that was on the radar and that they were being aggressive in that area to see improvements. Mr. DuBois added that they have also requested that the Black Chamber look at and follow their web site so that they were all inclusive with current events and venues that were happening and would attract African American organizations. Mr. Moss suggested the inclusion of the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society because there was a significant amount of information that they were using for tourism purposes. He reiterated that it needed to be linked into the overall process. Mr. DuBois indicated that they would look into that suggestion. Mayor Moncrief requested clarification on if their web site was providing the connectivity to all of the other partners. He questioned whether the links were in place with them and if their link was on their web sites. Mr. DuBois indicated that the answer was "yes"; however, it was not done as well as they should have been but it would be much better with their new platform. He explained that they were sitting on seven year old technology and they were spending this year $200,000 for new technology and they had hired a new web manager. He stated that individual was working on a daily basis to ensure that those links were there using their current technology; however, their site would be enhanced with the new design that would hopefully be up by this summer. Mayor Moncrief requested that Mr. DuBois bring back before the committee the look of their new web site. He asked that Mr. DuBois provide a side by side comparison of the new site as compared to the old site. Mayor Moncrief talked about the importance of staying on top of technology and staying current with the web sites. Mayor Moncrief spoke about the issue of cannibalization that Mr. DuBois had mentioned in his presentation. Mayor Moncrief indicated that he did not oppose the visitors or guests going east and going west; however, he did have a problem with them going in just one direction. He felt there was room in this regional effort, not just for the Super Bowl but for all of the large venues. He indicated that he hoped that the boiler plate that the City was putting into place for these events to have one team come to one city and one team to another would be followed in these future venues. He spoke in opposition to creating turf wars. He supported the regional partnership of Dallas, Arlington, etc. Mr. DuBois spoke about the tourism packages they were creating for spring and summer for guests to keep them in Tarrant County and to stay in Fort Worth and Arlington to enjoy the venues available. In further discussion, Mr. Moss emphasized the important of the web site called Fort Worth Timeline and that it was another major venue that the City had that perhaps no other city had and visitors could go to that web site and find the history of the City. Mr. DuBois stated that they will have an aggressive link to that site. CITY OF FORT WORTH ldgftk HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 13 of 25 Chairman Jordan expressed appreciation again for the presentation. Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (Agenda Item 4) Karen Meunier, Housing Program Manager, Housing and Economic Development Department, spoke before the committee regarding the City's role in assisting homeowners during difficult economic times. She indicated that this presentation was the result of a request that had been made by the committee for an update. Ms. Meunier indicated at the end of her presentation she would be introducing Luke Harry, Senior Customer Liaison with the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Administration Office Business Development. She stated that this would be an opportunity to profile the Housing Services and Information Division of the Housing and Economic Development Department. She took an opportunity to introduce other members of her staff that were present in the audience. She indicated that those were the City faces that approximately 1600 homeowners and home buyers deal with each year. Using a PowerPoint presentation, she advised of the Housing Services and Information Division Functions as follows: • Housing Counseling • Home Owner Training Workshops • Loan Origination & Loan Processing • Loan Servicing • Education and Outreach She presented an organization chart for the Department of Housing and Economic Development and indicated where the subject division was located. She referenced the division staffing as follows: • 5.5 Loan Servicing Representatives ■ Staff Functions ■ 3.5 Housing Counselors ■ 1 Loan Processor ■ 1 Loan Servicer • 2.0 Administrative Technicians She advised that they have 161 loans in their portfolio right now. She stated that those were home repair leans. with a value of S4.5 million. She added that they also had over 600 loans that imp qu CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 qV Page 14 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) were deferred payment loans for very low income homeowners. She stated that those loans had a value of over$7 million. She then presented the facts related to their counseling services as follows: • Pre-Purchase—Credit Seasoning • Post-Purchase—Non-Delinquency • Foreclosure Prevention/Mitigation • Reverse Mortgage and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages Council Member Espino requested clarification on the foreclosure prevention/mitigation services. He talked about the Hope for Homeowners Program where certain homeowners could qualify for a reduction of their loans to the home's current value. He asked if the City staff was referring phone calls from residents to that program or had a link on the web site been established to that program. He added that he heard due to the current real estate market that banks nationally were also setting up certain programs to address this issue. He questioned again how this was being handled. Ms. Meunier indicated that the City was doing all of the things that Council Member Espino had addressed. She did clarify that the Hope for Homeowners was an option for the homeowners that had FHA loans. She added that they did have the full list of loan servicers for every lender, so that they could connect with them automatically. She indicated that they have been working with the Comp Team on their web site and there was a link titled "contact your lender." Council Member Espino talked about the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors that have met with him and other City staff and Council Members on their position out in the community and the issue of foreclosures came up in their meeting. He questioned Ms. Meunier on what type of partnerships or efforts were the City engaged in with that organization and other realtors groups, Metro Tex Group, etc., to try to get information to distressed homeowners to let them know what their opinions were. Ms. Meunier stated that she was in contact with them and trading telephone calls with the chairman of the committee from the Board of Realtors. Ms. Meunier continued her presentation and spoke about the certifications and training as follows: • The City is one of five (5) HUD-Certified Housing Counseling Agencies in Fort Worth • The Average Number of years of housing counseling staff experience is 14 years CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 15 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) • All have extensive formal training provided through national organizations: NeighborWorks America® —Dept. of HUD—FDIC MoneyWorksTM • Three counselors are Spanish-speaking Ms. Meunier presented and explained a pie chart showing the counseling clients for 2007-2008. The chart showed 72% were pre-purchase; 8% were resolving delinquency and 20% were post-purchase non-delinquent She then showed a graph of their trends in counseling services for FY 2007/2008, along with the first quarter of 2008 and the projected FY 2008/2009. The graph showed the number of homeowner training workshops, pre-purchase counseling, default/delinquency counseling and post purchase counseling. Ms. Meunier explained the figures and the comparisons of the information. Council Member Burns requested clarification on how the public would find out about the City's services, i.e., was it through the mortgage lenders? He questioned whether it was through certain marketing. Ms. Meunier indicated that she would be talking about their marketing techniques later in her presentation. She added that most of the public comes to them by referrals, i. e., lenders, neighbors, people who have attended the classes, from Department of HUD, etc. Mayor Moncrief requested further clarification from Ms. Meunier on the people that were coming in off of the streets and making requests. He asked for a typical example of what they were requesting, how they found out about the City services and what they were requesting from the City staff. Mr. Meunier stated that they are typically referred to them by a lender, by the Department of HUD or by the National Task Force for Prevention. She added that typically they had been a homeowner for at least four years. She stated that they were coming to the City because there had been a job loss, or debts, or a divorce that had dramatically changed their income. She pointed out that a few were victims of predatory lending, but they usually could get them into a refinanced program. She stated that a few of them were new home buyers. Ms. Meunier stated that the demographics of income were changing, i.e., last year only 3% of the clients earned more than 80% of the median income. She stated that had now shifted and they were now up to 10%. She emphasized that 70% of their clients were minorities. Ms. Meunier continued with her presentation. Ms. Meunier spoke before the committee on the local housing counseling challenges as follows: CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 16 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) • Rise in requests for foreclosure mitigation counseling • Increase in pre-purchase counseling • Rise in demand for reverse mortgage counseling from growing number of baby- boomers in stagnant economy • Staff capacity The next topic she presented was the national challenges that they were facing as follows: • Surging demand for foreclosure prevention counseling • Increased financial literacy training for pre-purchase and post-purchase clients • Increasing demand for reverse mortgage counseling from a growing baby-boomer population • New technology demands • National call centers • Internet-based education • Increasing standardized and specialized training needs for counselors • Funding resources for housing counseling Ms. Meunier spoke before the committee on the topics of education and outreach: • Pre-Purchase Home Owner Training Workshops • Post Purchase Workshops • Financial Literacy Training • Lender Orientations • Community Events • Referrals She advised of their partners and contract agreements as follows: • U.S. Department of HUD • Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant • Fort Worth Housing Authority • Housing Voucher Choice Homeownership • Private Sector Sponsors • Home Owner Training (HOT) Workshops • Texas Foreclosure Prcvcntion Task Force CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 17 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) • HOPE Hotline She advised of the market response which included: • Fannie Mae Streamline Modification Program for expedited foreclosure mitigation • Dept of HUD Federal Housing Administration (FHA) o Hope for Homeowners Ms. Meunier introduced Luke Harry, with Federal Housing Association (FHA), who spoke before the committee on the FHA and other housing assistant programs. Mr. Harry provided handout information to the committee members which consisted of. 1. Hope for Homeowners Fact Sheet 2. Basic Fact Sheet for Lenders about the Hope for Homeowners Program 3. HUD/FHA— Loss Mitigation Program Mr. Harry stated that recently they had been writing some of the best loans industry wide, including conventional FHA, VA, USDA, etc. He stated due to what had been happening nationwide regarding the housing market, FHA had been requested to step in numerous different situations and provide help to homeowners. He stated that as a result of that they had seen a 160% increase in FHA business. A majority of the business had come from refinancing loans. He stated these refinances were FHA to FHA, which they used to see a lot of in the past. He stated that what they had experienced now was a large amount of conventional FHA refinances. He stated the reason for that was FHA had allowed for borrowers to come from conventional mortgages to FHA mortgages. FHA had slightly more lenient guidelines and there was no wavering from them as to the debt/income ratios and the loan values were concerned. He stated because of that issue, the borrowers were getting a stronger loan. Mr. Harry gave as an example a homeowner that had an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) loan that they could not pay could now have it changed to an FHA insured loan. He then talked about combination or piggyback mortgages, 80/20, 75/25, etc., to keep people out of private mortgage insurance. He stated that was the big thing that buyers did not want to pay. He stated that now everyone was seeing that it was not such a bad thing to have. He added that a lot of people were coming to FHA because FHA still allowed for a 95% cash out refinancing. He stated that this was much higher than the standard industry any more. He stated that FHA had seen a need for this 95°,o loan to value in order to be able to refinance some of the second mortgages that had been piled on top of the first CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 18 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) loans to allow the homeowners who cannot afford what they have to pile it into one affordable loan. He reiterated that there has been a lot of growth in FHA's portfolio. Mr. Harry talked about the FHA mortgage insurance plan and how it protects both the homeowner and FHA lender. He also explained what was meant by defaulting on a loan and that it did not necessarily mean going to foreclosure. He referenced this information that had been provided in his handout. Mr. Harry spoke about the Hope for Homeowners program and referenced the fact sheet that had been provided in his handout materials. He talked about problems associated with this program in the beginning. He stated that this was strictly a voluntary program, i.e., lenders did not have to write down loans, people have not agreed to share their equity, and in some cases people were not credit worthy as far as the loan parameters were set. He indicated that the program started out at a 90% loan value product and it had been changed to 96.5% to allow for a smaller write down. He stated that the reason there had not been a lot of action in this program was due to the number of parties that had to be involved. FHA did not expect to see any closings in the early part of December, but later in January and February due to all of the work outs and parties that have to agree. He stated that the important thing was that cities were stepping up and doing important things just like the City of Fort Worth. Cities were trying to let homeowners who were in trouble realize that everyone knows it was hard and that they should not be embarrassed to ask for assistance. He added no one was going to look down at them for that. Mr. Harry went on to explained that the Hope for Homeowners was just one small piece of several other programs and services that were available to the homeowners to help fix the crisis that was now occurring. He added that it was going to take time to get better. Chairman Jordan expressed appreciation to Mr. Harry for his presentation and the information provided. He opened the floor for discussion and/or comments. Council Member Espino expressed appreciation for the information on the Hope for Homeowners Program and the other tools that were available. He stated that along the same lines as education and out reach, he was aware that the information was available on the City's web site; however, he felt it would be a good approach to do e-mail blast to all of the neighborhood associations in the City. He stated that the issue of foreclosure of homes affects the City throughout the city limits. He stated that he felt the City needed to continue to get the word out. He reiterated working with the realtors' stakeholders groups and advised of another group to contact being the DFW Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. lie stated the more into�rmation that people have at their disposal the better CITY OF FORT WORTH is HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 19 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) decisions they can make for themselves. Council Member Espino expressed appreciation to Mr. Harry for coming to the meeting from his office in Oklahoma. Council Member Burdette also expressed appreciation for the presentation. He stated that he took two things from it, one being that the City of Fort Worth, HUD and other agencies needed to continue to try to educate people about the economics of home ownership. He stated that he understood from reading the newspaper that this problem had occurred due to a lot of people who did not have the knowledge they needed and they have gotten into homes that cost more than they really could afford. He felt it was important that the programs go forward in terms of educating the public. He added these programs would also help the homeowners who were in distress sit down and try to work out a plan for the future. He was encouraged by this information. He felt it was important to attack these problems sooner rather than later. He stated that if they are not resolved they will be a drag on the economy and cause problems to other people as jobs would be lost and the economy would continue to sag. He also supported the 0 comments made by Council Member Espino regarding having a partnership with the realtors who can also help provide appropriate information. Mr. Moss also expressed appreciation for all of the programs that were being provided. He pointed out that he was a realtor and he had concerns regarding the responsiveness of the lenders. He stated at this point he was working with lenders that were just not responding. He stated that he was working with one of the major lenders since November and still was not getting any response. He pointed out that he realized that there were a lot of programs in place and that there were a lot of counseling programs in place; however, in his opinion the homeowners still had to go through the lenders. He stated that he was trying to figure out what was going on. He stated that in his district, the lenders were not responsive to working out the loans. He added they just wanted to foreclose on the properties and then they dump the properties. He provided an example of a house that sold for $120,000 three years ago, the lender foreclosed on it and sold it for $70,000. He pointed out that this hurt the other homeowners in the neighborhood. Council Member Moss pointed out that those figures then become the comps for the properties where people are trying to sell their homes. Council Member Moss emphasized that there were major lenders that hold large portfolios of properties who have also been bailed out at the national level but they were still not working to resolve the issues. Mr. Harry stated that from the beginning one of the ideas was that the lenders should accept some of the losses. He stated there was no directive given to the lenders that they had to do this. He added that unfortunately there was not a good answer to the questions and/or CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 20 of 25 Briefing on the City's Role in Assisting Homeowners During Difficult Economic Times (cont'd) (Agenda Item 4) concerns posed by Council Member Moss. He continued to talk about the unusual circumstances that exist today. Council Member Moss pointed out the stress that this situation was putting on people. Mayor Moncrief expressed appreciation to Mr. Harry for his information and for attending the meeting. He stated that he understood Mr. Moss's concerns and stated that it did not do any good to have a program called Hope for Homeowners if no one was answering the phone. He pointed out the need to be responsive to the people that were in need in this situation. He also talked about the need to provide more out reach to the people that need it and that perhaps the City was not doing enough in that endeavor. He talked about working with the realtors in order that the City can develop a better flow of information and share what information was available to those individuals that most need it. He added he felt a close eye was needed to watch the counseling numbers as this was a sign of the uncertain conditions that were currently being experienced. He requested from Assistant City Manager Tom Higgins that a quarterly report be provided in an Executive Summary to provide information side by side on what the City was looking for and what those trends might be indicating. Chairman Jordan also expressed appreciation for the presentations. He stated that this was a critical issue that needed to be tracked very carefully and closely. He stated that it was the mortgage crises that lead the country into the current recession. He pointed out that it was not just the homeowners that could not afford the houses that were the victims; it was also the houses that were left vacant that then become code compliance issues and then affect the area neighborhoods. He stated this was a city-wide issue that needed to be monitored or it will drag down the City. He also reiterated the need for the trend report on a quarterly basis. This concluded the presentation and discussion on this agenda item. Discussion on Increasing the Funding Level for the Proposed Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (Agenda Item 5) Mr. Jerome Walker, Assistant Director of Housing and Economic Development Department, spoke before the committee on the submission of an application in December for the neighborhood stabilization program to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He stated over the past month they have been working with the appropriate parties to push that application process along. Mr. Walker indicated that there were two issues he wanted to present CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 21 of 25 Discussion on Increasing the Funding Level for the Proposed Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (cont'd) (Agenda Item 5) to the committee that were program related. He indicated that one of the items was a recommendation from HUD and one was a requirement. Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Walker advised that after discussing this issue with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the recommendation was to increase the buyer subsidy per household from $20,000 to $25,000. The other part of the recommendation was to increase the affordability period from five (5) years to ten (10) years. Mr. Walker stated that the City staff recommendation was to: • Increase subsidy from $20,000 to $25,000 per buyer • Increase affordability period to ten (10) years • 100% repayment required during the first five years if affordability period is not met is • During the second five years forgive subsidy at a rate of 1/60th per month as long as affordability was met • No repayment required after ten years Mr. Walker concluded his presentation. Chairman Jordan opened the floor for questions and/or comments. Chairman Jordan stated that he had met and discussed this issue with Mr. Walker. He added that he felt it was important that the City's policy needed to be oriented toward success by keeping people in the home for the duration of the loan rather than the number of loans that were provided. Council Member Espino spoke about the purpose of the City seeking the neighborhood stabilization program was for those properties that had been foreclosed on in order to stabilize those neighborhoods where there were a high number of foreclosures. He spoke about the City staff s recommendation and reiterated the points provided by Mr. Walker. He emphasized that what the City was trying to achieve was homeowner-occupied properties that they would stay in for at least ten years. He pointed out that the advantage to the City would be that the homes were occupied and not sitting vacant and the property values were not decreasing. He added that the Council needed to move quickly on this issue. He also requested clarification from Mr. Walker on any public comments that were received at the public hearing. Mr. Walker indicated that the comments that kN ere recei, ed were in support of the program. He did point out that one person CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 22 of 25 Discussion on Increasing the Funding Level for the Proposed Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (cont'd) (Agenda Item 5) spoke about using the funding for the purchase of properties for investment purposes. Council Member Espino requested clarification about the next steps to be taken. Mr. Walker indicated that it was the approval from HUD. He indicated that the City staff had been working with them on technical recommendations on corrections for the application and also for program design. He stated that the City staff had submitted the revised language to HUD and they were in the final review. He added that they were now looking at mid-February for response. Chairman Jordan interjected that this must be formally approved by the City Council, thus an M & C would be prepared for the Council's consideration. Mayor Moncrief indicated his support for the comments that had been made that this program was designed to keep people in their homes for the duration of the loan. He indicated that the City should look at that as its priority. He requested clarification from Mr. Walker as to whether there were any downsides to the recommendation. Mayor Moncrief indicated that he did not seen one and felt it was a reasonable direction for the City to pursue. Mr. Walker indicated that the City staff did not see a downside. He added that the City staff felt that it was providing the homeowner with a reasonable amount of equity in the property on the front end and it is an encouragement for them to stay in the property. He stated that the subsidy was an up side and it should be encouragement for the home buyer to stay in the property. Council Member Moss clarified with Mr. Walker that part of the funds could be used for home improvements. Mr. Moss reiterated some of the comments he had made earlier in the meeting regarding the properties that were foreclosed and then sold for a much lower price and how it impacted the neighborhoods. He expressed his support for using some of the funds for home improvements, rather than totally in the down payment or closing costs. He expressed his concerns that if the condition of the property was not addressed then a quality housing product was not going to be put on the market. He reiterated his support to use some of the funding to provide for the necessary improvements for painting, new carpeting, etc., in order to put a quality product back on the market. Mr. Walker responded to Council Member Moss's concerns. He stated that one of the programs did put a maximum of 55,000 that one could pay and use for closing costs. He stated there was a restriction on the amount of the down payment assistance that could be provided as well. He explained that FHA required a 3.5 percent down payment. The buyer had to pay 50 percent of that down payment amount. He stated that the City's subsidy can cover that other 50 percent. He added then the balance of that money could be used for principal reduction or mortgage reduction and closing costs, etc. He added that there was room for minor repairs to be made. He emphasized that this was not a City driven program; it was a market driven program. He pointed out that the buyer had to decide within those seven zip codes CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 . Page 23 of 25 Discussion on Increasing the Funding Level for the Proposed Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (cont'd) (Agenda Item 5) that have been identified where they could buy property. The buyer also had to get the financing or first mortgage loan for the property. Mr. Walker stated that they hoped that the buyer would be using their keen eye in all aspects of this process in order to get the financing and get the subsidy from the City and be able to afford the property they were interested in purchasing. Mr. Moss stated that at the same time the purchase of the property did need to meet the City's housing standards. Mr. Walker advised that whenever federal monies were utilized, they required that it must meet certain housing standards. He stated that the federal government had allowed jurisdictions to adopt local requirements to satisfy that particular aspect of the program. He pointed out that the City's requirements were included as part of the application process. He added that the City's requirements were a little more stringent than what others may require. Council Member Espino requested clarification as to whether this included the home counseling program, i.e., a person must go through home counseling before they were allowed to participate in the program. Mr. Walker indicated that was correct. Chairman Jordan reiterated that he felt the status of this program needed to be included in the committee's quarterly report. The presentation and discussion was concluded on this agenda item. Discussion of Amending the Policy and Guidelines for Public Improvement Districts (Agenda Item 6) Due to time constraints, Chairman Jordan passed over this agenda item. Discussion Regarding Written Reports (Agenda Item 7) Chairman Jordan referenced the following written reports and indicated that if the committee members had any questions those should be referred to the City staff. A. Review of the City's Target Areas in the Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest for the Social Compact Study— Phase 2. B. Reallocation of 5528,814.67 in Stop Six Sunrise Edition Model HOME and CDBG Funds from a Home Improvement Program and Minor Home Repair is CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 24 of 25 Program to an Acquisition/Rehabilitation/Resale/New Construction Program to be Administered by the Fort Worth Housing Finance Corporation There was no discussion on these written reports. Executive Session (Agenda Item 8) Chairman Jordan advised that there was no need for discussion by the committee of the following items under the Executive Session. A. Seek the advice of its attorneys concerning the following items that are exempt from public disclosure under Article X, Section 9 of the Texas State Bar Rules, as authorized by Section 551.071 of the Texas Government Code: (i) legal issues concerning the Museum Place Economic Development Program Agreement with Museum Place Holdings, LLC (City Secretary Contract No. 36482); (ii) legal issues concerning the U. s. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Review of the City's use of federal funds; and (iii) any current agenda items; B. Discuss the purchase, sale, lease or value of real property, as authorized by Section 551.072 of the Texas Government Code. Deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the City in negotiations with a third party; and, C. Discuss or deliberate negotiations relating to any economic development negotiations, as authorized by Section 551.087 of the Texas Government Code. Request for Future Agenda Items (Agenda Item 9) Chairman Jordan reiterated the need for quarterly reports as requested during the meeting on the topics being discussed. Date of Next Regular Meeting— February 3, 2009 (Agenda Item 10) Chairman Jordan advised that the next regular meeting of the Housing and Economic Development Committee would be held on Tuesday, February 3, 2009. CITY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE JANUARY 6, 2009 Page 25 of 25 Adiourn (Agenda Item 11) With no further presentations or discussions, Chairman Jordan adjourned the regular meeting of the Housing and Economic Development Committee at 2:46 p.m., on Tuesday, January 6, 2009. These minutes approved by the Housing and Economic Development Committee on the 3rd day of February, 2009. APPROVED: Ju s J; rdan, Chi 'man Minutes Prepared by and Attest: Marty Hendrix, C'Nty Secretary X • • s