The month of June is when your City Council wraps up the budget season , representing some of the most consequential work we do all year.
This past Thursday, an op-ed penned by affordable housing advocates appeared in the Independent, urging an extraordinary use of taxpayer funds in the name of affordable housing. As stated in the article, Measure I was passed by the voters to maintain essential public safety services and to invest in the newly formed “Santa Barbara Local Housing Trust Fund,” among other General Fund-provided services and amenities. The passage of the measure allows the city to fill Police Department positions that were formerly held vacant due to budget cuts, as well as the restoration of library hours both in the Main Branch and Eastside Library.
The housing fund is intended for organizations such as the Santa Barbara Housing Authority as well as Habitat for Humanity. In addition, a like portion is proposed to be put into “Homeless Services,” dollars that could potentially also be utilized for housing, for a total of around 22 percent of the new fund source.