State and Local Reporter - 10/07/2004 (Plain Text Version)

Duane Willenbring, Chair
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

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In this issue:
NAHB Unveils Results of 2003-2004 Critical Issues Survey
Now Accepting Nominations for 2004 SLGA Recognition Awards
The Clock Is Ticking on Discounts for the SLGA Conference in Biloxi
Minnesota, Pennsylvania Advance Legislative Solutions for Unregulated Municipal Professional Fees
NAHB Awards Grants to Projects in California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota and Texas
Help Your Members Vote
Nonprofit Election Activities: Dos and Don'ts
Legislative Group Makes Workforce Housing a Priority
Cities Struggling to Make Ends Meet, According to League of Cities Report
Industry News from New Jersey, New York and Texas
Study Finds Multifamily Housing Does Not Contribute to School Crowding

NAHB Awards Grants to Projects in California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota and Texas

At the recent Fall Board of Directors Meeting in Columbus, OH, NAHB's Executive Committee authorized State & Local Issues Fund grants for five initiatives, including local and state ballot issues, revisions to the National Wetlands Plant List, a homebuilding Web site geared to consumers and a study of zoning's impacts on minority homebuyers.

Building Industry Association of the Delta, Stockton, CA
The association, working through the Save Stockton Jobs coalition, is trying to defeat a Sierra Club-backed initiative — Measure Q — on the general election ballot. The initiative would create an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) around the city of Stockton, set it at the 1990 urban service line and drastically limit the ability to build new homes in the city.

The BIA of the Delta, joined by other Stockton businesses, realtors and farmers, is running a campaign using direct mail, radio and television advertisements and phone calls to convince voters to cast a 'no' vote for Measure Q.

Colorado Association of Home Builders
General election voters in Colorado will be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment to overturn the state's Notice and Opportunity to Repair law, which passed in 2003. The Colorado law is considered one of the strongest in the country, leading trial lawyers in the state to attempt to defeat it.

The Colorado Association of Home Builders has launched a public campaign to influence voters to uphold the positive reforms made in the state's Notice and Opportunity to Repair law.

Maryland State Builders Association and a coalition of other state and local HBAs
The Maryland association in coalition with other home builders associations near the Delmarva peninsula is working to influence changes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands. These changes could make nearly a third of the peninsula a federally-regulated wetland, placing the area under federal control and making it more difficult to develop land.

The Maryland State Builders Association and its partners have developed a multi-pronged strategy that includes pressuring federal agencies to repropose the changes, a grassroots letter-writing campaign and hiring a technical consultant to assess the proposed changes.

Builders Association of Minnesota
Unsuccessful legislation last session asked the Minnesota Department of Commerce to develop a Web site to help consumers understand how their houses work, how to maintain them and what to expect during the first year as a new homeowner. Although the legislation did not pass, the Builders Association of Minnesota took it upon themselves to develop the site. The Web site will set a precedent by using the Internet to bring practical, technically accurate information to homeowners on a variety of topics that will increase building performance and decrease builder liability. The information provided will also be made available to other home builders associations.

Working in conjunction with the Department of Commerce, the association has secured grants to get complete the planning phase of the Web site, and expects to have the site live by the start of Minnesota's 2005 Legislative Session.

Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, TX
Most parts of the country are faced with a lack of affordable housing for their workforce. In Kyle, TX, a suburb 15 miles south of Austin, city leaders approved regulations that could add $15,000 - $20,000 to the cost of a new home, pricing many members of the community out of homeownership.

In response, the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin is conducting an economic impact study to illustrate how zoning and subdivision regulations negatively impact the minority community and the less wealthy. This study is part of an overall effort by the Texas Association of Builders, NAHB and the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC) concerning potential litigation under the premise of fair housing discrimination.

Can the Issues Fund help your association?
NAHB’s State & Local Issues Fund was established to provide financial assistance to help state and local associations address nationally significant, precedent-setting legislative, regulatory or ballot challenges. Grants up to $25,000 per application are awarded during each board of directors meeting.

The next funding applications will be considered at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, and the submission deadline is December 6, 2004.

Descriptions of projects funded in the past can be viewed on INFOsource, NAHB's online information clearinghouse.

NAHB members can go online to get general Issues Fund information or contact Sam Leyvas at 800-368-5242, x8326.