Letter to Editor | We Support “Yes for Homes”

— from The T Williams Realty crew – Teri Williams, Sandi Friel, Miramonee Harrington, Mandy Randolph and Beth Holmes —

We the women of T Williams Realty are writing to express our support for the proposed San Juan County Home Fund that will be on the ballot in November. While not a perfect solution, we believe it’s a step in the right direction to help those in our community most in need of access to housing.

Among the five of us, we’ve:

• Rented an OPAL apartment as a young single mom returning to the island after growing up here
• Worked at OPAL and seen the critical service it provides and the ongoing wait list indicating more housing options are still needed
• Assisted buyers in purchasing an OPAL home, including foregoing our commission
• Noticed the sense of relief in our friends once their housing insecurity was solved by owning an OPAL home
• Fielded calls at our real estate office from those desperate to find housing
• Seen deplorable living conditions for some tenants, including absence of indoor plumbing
• Witnessed community members having to move off the island due to lack of affordable housing
• Received inquiries from new potential hires in law enforcement, paramedics, teachers and lineman whose inability to find affordable housing weighed their acceptance of a job
• Managed long-term rentals where 6 of the 7 homes have sold over the past 24 months, displacing tenants
• Made personal contributions to OPAL, and wished we could give more

The Home Fund revenue would come from a one-time ½% real estate excise tax (REET) on the purchase of all real estate in the San Juans for the next 12 years and be used to help create, preserve and rehabilitate affordable housing. One thing we like about it is that it will also help those with moderate incomes, in addition to low and very-low incomes.

Each of us at TWR has had our own questions/concerns as to whether this proposed REET is the right solution. For example, we wondered whether it’s fair to put the burden on all buyers, including those with low incomes. We learned that the state requires a REET to be applied uniformly, but there are grant funds available to help low income buyers with closing costs. Further, though the tax is designed to be paid by the buyer, it could be rolled into a mortgage or even negotiated between the parties. Finally, a low income buyer is likely purchasing an OPAL home (since there’s nothing else affordable) and therefore is already receiving benefits that far exceed the cost of a relatively small one-time tax.

Another question we had is how the funds would be handled and equitably distributed. Would this be a monster for the county to manage? What checks and balances will there be? Our concerns were relieved when we found out the intent is that the funds would be distributed in a manner that is proportional to each island’s population and REET collections. The County will NOT be involved in planning or implementing any of the projects. A citizen Housing Advisory Committee will make recommendations on how to award funds to the county’s three land trusts (or perhaps a private developer of affordable housing) based on competitive proposals submitted; the County Council will have the final say. Most assuredly, OPAL and the other two land trusts, as well as interested citizens, will keep a watchdog eye on the process and outcome. In 12 years, voters will have the opportunity again to decide if the REET is necessary and appropriate.

Will the Home Fund solve all our affordable housing problems? No. Is it a perfect solution? No. But it appears to be the best, most equitable and innocuous solution available at this time. We need to start chipping away at an issue that’s currently undermining the community we love. Yes we are Realtors, but first and foremost we are residents and neighbors, and we believe it should be possible for working people to afford a safe and healthy home here.