Over the last two years several Pierce County elected officials that represent the county, cities and tribes have convened for the purposes of discussing the benefits of forming a coalition that can work towards advancing affordable housing objectives in Pierce County.  The Mayor of Auburn has participated in these discussions and has advocated for a concept that allows municipal governments to pool resources and collectively work together on an affordable housing crisis that reaches all corners of Pierce County.  The Mayor has provided several short briefings summarizing the progress of this effort during her verbal reports at City Council meetings. 

After two years of collaboration a draft Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) has been prepared and distributed for review and comment.  The transmittal letter that accompanied the draft IGA was signed by Pierce County elected officials, the Puyallup Tribe, and the Mayors of Lakewood, Auburn, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Orting, Fife and Tacoma. 

The IGA is similar to the Interlocal Agreement (ILA) that the City of Auburn entered into when the South King Housing and Homeless Partners (SKHHP) was formed (An IGA and ILA are synonymous – an ILA is the preferred term for King County and an IGA is the preferred term for Pierce County).  SSHAP has a very similar function, purpose, and organization as SKHHP. 

Similar to the SKHHP ILA, the SSHAP IGA declares that all participants have voting rights, that all participants share a common objective but are able to pursue different approaches and methods within their municipality, and that each participant would contribute a relatively modest annual fee to help cover the costs of this work.  Also similar to SKHHP, a future resolution will be prepared and presented for City Council consideration in June which would authorize the Mayor to sign the IGA.

What would the IGA do if enacted?

1. Establish a common set of housing goals across Pierce County.

2. Establish one municipality as the Administering Agency for SSHAP.

3. Create an Executive Board made up of elected officials representing each participating municipality.

4. Create an Advisory Board that will help guide SSHAP initiatives and programs.

5. Establish a mechanism for funding housing initiatives and programs, including capital expenditures to acquire housing.

6. Create a staff position (or positions) that will support the efforts of SSHAP.

7. Establish rules, procedures, voting methods and other operational details defining how SSHAP will function.