Clallam County commissioners expressed support for using opportunity funds to finance affordable workforce housing in light of recent legislative changes.
In June, the state Legislature amended the state code to allow counties to use opportunity funds for affordable workforce housing infrastructure or facilities. Previously, funds were only available for public facilities serving economic development or personnel needs in economic development offices.
The Opportunity Fund Board met with the three commissioners during their Aug. 19 work session to discuss if housing was a route they wanted to explore.
“An important element is the opinion of the county commissioners on this,” Colleen McAleer, executive director of the Economic Development Council, said.
Commissioner Mike French said economic development is his No. 1 priority for the funds. He said housing plays a key role in that development.
“It is really hard to disentangle housing from economic development,” he said.
Commissioner Randy Johnson said he’s a big proponent of using the opportunity fund in that way.
“I don’t see affordability without some help,” Johnson said.
There are other funds available for affordable housing — commissioners specifically mentioned House Bill 1406 and HB 1590 funds. However, they said both those sources are reserved for projects that provide housing to those who are below 60% of the area median income (AMI).
Opportunity funds can be used for affordable workforce housing, which focuses on individuals whose income is between 80-120% of AMI.
“I would look favorably upon an opportunity fund use for those types of applications,” French said. “That population is very hard for us to serve.”
“Housing is our No. 1 challenge,” commissioner Mark Ozias said. “So understanding how this funding can be uniquely deployed to support this kind of funding that our other revenue streams are not able to support is really important.”
The opportunity fund is mainly generated through a 0.09 percent county sales or use tax. In 2024, that tax is projected to bring in $1.921 million. Interest is predicted to bring in another $233,000, with other income bringing the projected total revenue source up to about $2.172 million.
After the discussion, the Opportunity Fund Board’s immediate next steps include gaining clarity on some legal questions and sending out an informational survey.
One legal issue they want to clarify is how to deal with applications that plan on mixing funding sources, such as using opportunity funds in combination with HB 1406 or HB 1590 funds.
The survey will be sent to eligible county organizations, including cities, nonprofit housing developers, the court and the county.
McAleer said this will serve as a road map for projects the board might see in the future, so it can have an idea of where funding might be allocated.
