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Response: The Legislature should: <br />a) Support the affordable housing <br />priorities of the Minnesota Housing <br />Finance Agency (MHFA), which <br />include making resources and <br />methods available to maintain and <br />improve existing affordable homes, <br />especially housing stock that is aging <br />such as naturally occurring <br />(unsubsidized) affordable housing. <br />b) Provide stable and long term funding <br />for Minnesota Housing and other <br />affordable housing programs, <br />including those that allow flexibility <br />for cities to create partnerships and <br />leverage resources with private and <br />public entities, such as: capital <br />investment funding for affordable and <br />public housing, funding for supportive <br />services and programs that address <br />homelessness and reduce barriers to <br />stable housing and homeownership, a <br />state low-income housing tax credit to <br />help rebuild the state's partnership <br />with local governments in the <br />development of homeownership, and <br />multi -family rental assistance and <br />housing renovation programs. <br />c) Consider establishing a program to <br />address immediate needs throughout <br />the year to provide a match for new or <br />existing city -supported affordable <br />housing projects. This could include <br />matching funds, issued on a timeline <br />that is consistent with local budgeting <br />processes, for local revenues allocated <br />to a local affordable housing trust <br />fund. <br />d) Substantially increase long-term <br />funding for the Economic <br />Development & Challenge Fund to <br />leverage local private and public <br />resources to develop workforce rental <br />and single-family homes. <br />e) Support legislation to provide sales, <br />use, and transaction tax exemptions or <br />reductions for development and <br />production of affordable housing and <br />use state bond proceeds for land <br />banking and trusts as well as <br />rehabilitation and construction of <br />affordable housing. <br />f) Provide funding and financing tools to <br />cities to create affordable senior <br />housing for our aging population. <br />Provide funding and financing tools to <br />cities to create affordable housing and <br />prevent foreclosure for veterans. <br />h) Support for policy, programs and <br />funding to reduce the racial gap in <br />homeownership rates, such as <br />targeted homeownership capacity <br />building and homebuyer assistance. <br />i) Support resources to assist <br />communities to reduce barriers to and <br />promote fair housing and equal <br />opportunity. <br />j) Support housing stability for renters <br />through policies that mitigate the <br />impact of or reduce evictions filed and <br />provide additional funding for the <br />Section 8 housing choice voucher or <br />other rental assistance programs and <br />financial, tax, and/or other incentives <br />for rental property owners to <br />participate in these programs. <br />g) <br />LE-10. Energy Efficiency <br />Improvement Requirements for <br />Housing <br />Issue: Rising energy costs have brought <br />attention to the poor energy efficiency of <br />many private residences and multi -family <br />properties, especially in older housing stock. <br />The affordability of housing could be <br />severely impacted by continued increases in <br />home energy costs. Improvements in the <br />energy efficiency of housing would improve <br />the affordability of local housing options <br />and would help achieve state energy demand <br />and greenhouse gas emission reduction <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2018 City Policies Page 57 <br />