Mayor Paul TenHaken's affordable housing division is hyping the first-ever housing summit in Sioux Falls as a step toward bolstering inter-agency collaboration.
But a $20 admission charge is raising eyebrows.
City councilors were briefed last week about the summit, which is booked to happen next month with participation from community nonprofits that deal with affordable and accessible housing, apartment and home builders, and government housing agencies.
TenHaken has touted addressing housing needs in Sioux Falls as a priority for his administration, and collaborating with those already working toward that end is a step in achieving the goal, according to his affordable housing manager, Chellee Unruh.
More: Sioux Falls Housing Summit aims to bring agencies, resources under one roof
But some councilors balked when they learned the city intends to charge an admission fee of $20 for anyone who attends the days events, which include a series of panel discussion and two meals. The summit being held on a weekday — May 9 is a Thursday — when working class people who struggle to find housing might not be able to attend also drew some push back.
"I don't understand why we'd be charging for this," said Councilor Pat Starr, who wants to see the fee waived.
Unruh notes, however, that a portion of the days events are free to participate in. Two public hearings are scheduled in the afternoon and evening where the public is given opportunity to make comments to city housing officials. The hearings are a requirement of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and aid the city in formulating its annual housing action plan.
The target audience for the paid portion of the event are the industry and agency leaders performing the work, while those who rely on assistance for housing are the target audience for public hearings, Unruh said.
Councilor Theresa Stehly doesn't like the idea of charging anyone to attend a city function and says feels like a "pay-to-play" scheme. But in an email to Stehly last week, the mayor's Chief of Staff Erica Beck said those with a hardship would be able to attend.
"Should someone request the opportunity to attend but state they are not able to pay the registration fee, we certainly aren't going to turn them away," Beck wrote. "However, I do not expect that to be the case given our target audience and the public hearings that will follow the summit."
That didn't do anything to satisfy Stehly's concerns, though. She told the Argus Leader Tuesday that citizens shouldn't have to plead hardship in order to attend a city function without paying an admission and will introduce a formal resolution at the first City Council in may to pressure the administration to waive the registration fee and video record the day's events.
"It sets a bad precedent for future events and ... it sends the wrong message to citizens about their government," she said.
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