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Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne sponsored a referral for city staff to study reparations for the descendents of enslaved African people. By City of Olympia/OlyTV 3| City of Olympia/OlyTV 3
The Olympia City Council is set to discuss city-scale actions that could provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved African people when it holds a June 24 study session.
More than 400 possible actions were included in documents from the April 28 the city’s Social Justice and Equity Commission meeting. Almost 150 have been identified as viable ways of going about reparations.
The city identified 26 viable housing and land ownership reparation actions. A viable reparation method means it’s specific, actionable, reparative and within the city’s jurisdiction, according to city documents.
These include initiatives allocating funds for affordable housing preservation and down payment assistance, committing funds for public housing redevelopment, identifying replacement housing, planning Black Economic Development centers and promoting public housing homeownership through housing choice vouchers.
The actions include creating land acquisition and $1 lot programs, and changing the names of landmarks to be named after prominent people of color.
Staff could also collaborate with other cities on Section 8 voucher utilization, support owners of heirs property, and maintain a database of dilapidated homes. Coordinated assistance for homeowners facing demolition by neglect, providing mortgage and rent relief, and creating a universal right to counsel in eviction cases is also on the list.
The city could also establish a land bank, which is created by local jurisdictions to hold abandoned, vacant and tax-delinquent properties for future development.
“Not only does this provide local jurisdictions with land for future development, it also reduces the number of ‘problem properties’ in a community by creating a process for management and disposition,” according to city documents. “Land banks are a powerful tool for jurisdictions faced with problems from both the hot and cold ends of the housing market spectrum.”
According to city documents, in hot markets, land banks allow jurisdictions to make development decisions with less concern about the cost of land because they already have a portfolio of parcels ready for development. In cold markets, land banks reduce blight by acquiring abandoned and/or delinquent properties, clearing title, and then putting the properties back into productive use consistent with community priorities.
Actions also include developing a non-punitive eviction strategy for the Housing Authority, tracking eviction demographics, ensuring fair housing practices, creating a loan pool for homeownership and more.
Staff included 29 viable economic empowerment and business development reparations.
The list includes paying each African American what $300 in 1619 plus interest up to 2024 is worth today. According to an online inflation calendar, which goes back to 1635, that would be more than $11,000.
It also includes dedicating a significant share of second-round ARPA Economic Development funds to Black-owned businesses in Olympia.
The city may establish a private fund for reparations, and provide direct cash payments to individuals harmed by racial discrimination. The list also includes establishing a Black-owned bank in the city.
Staff also may track available funding and incentives from federal, state, local and private sources that can support economic development in the Black community.
The city will also consider settlements for property value lost in “urban renewal,” or land redevelopment. Settlements could be in the amount of $148,000.
Another consideration is to possibly provide funding to 300 new and existing Black-owned businesses to help them become sustainable over a five-year period.
There were eight criminal justice and social equity reparations options listed as viable in city documents. They include providing assistance to residents for the expungement of cannabis charges, and establishing a permanent criminal justice reform subcommittee.
The city may also consider eliminating cash bail and bond systems by ordinance, as well as address housing barriers for those with criminal convictions.
Another consideration on the list is to eliminate traffic stops based solely on equipment infractions. This includes broken lights and missing mirrors.
There were six funding mechanisms identified alongside setting up a private fund for reparations.
The city could create a $2 million reparations endowment fund within four years through a combination of cannabis tax revenue and funds borrowed from reserves. The money would be repaid with annual certified free cash, or unused year-end funds.
That endowment fund could be augmented with money from the Community Preservation Act and Community Development Block Grants.
The city also could collaborate with private citizens to establish a charity fund, and additional funding could be pursued through other private foundations. Development impact fees could also be a source of funding.
The entire list which includes 378 options and categories such as health care and well-being, cultural and community restoration, education, workforce development and more can be viewed on the city’s website under documents included in the April 28 Social Justice and Equity Commission meeting.
Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne sponsored a referral for city staff to study reparations for the descendents of enslaved African people. By City of Olympia/OlyTV 3| City of Olympia/OlyTV 3
The Olympia City Council is set to discuss city-scale actions that could provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved African people when it holds a June 24 study session.
More than 400 possible actions were included in documents from the April 28 the city’s Social Justice and Equity Commission meeting. Almost 150 have been identified as viable ways of going about reparations.
The city identified 26 viable housing and land ownership reparation actions. A viable reparation method means it’s specific, actionable, reparative and within the city’s jurisdiction, according to city documents.
These include initiatives allocating funds for affordable housing preservation and down payment assistance, committing funds for public housing redevelopment, identifying replacement housing, planning Black Economic Development centers and promoting public housing homeownership through housing choice vouchers.
The actions include creating land acquisition and $1 lot programs, and changing the names of landmarks to be named after prominent people of color.
Staff could also collaborate with other cities on Section 8 voucher utilization, support owners of heirs property, and maintain a database of dilapidated homes. Coordinated assistance for homeowners facing demolition by neglect, providing mortgage and rent relief, and creating a universal right to counsel in eviction cases is also on the list.
The city could also establish a land bank, which is created by local jurisdictions to hold abandoned, vacant and tax-delinquent properties for future development.
“Not only does this provide local jurisdictions with land for future development, it also reduces the number of ‘problem properties’ in a community by creating a process for management and disposition,” according to city documents. “Land banks are a powerful tool for jurisdictions faced with problems from both the hot and cold ends of the housing market spectrum.”
According to city documents, in hot markets, land banks allow jurisdictions to make development decisions with less concern about the cost of land because they already have a portfolio of parcels ready for development. In cold markets, land banks reduce blight by acquiring abandoned and/or delinquent properties, clearing title, and then putting the properties back into productive use consistent with community priorities.
Actions also include developing a non-punitive eviction strategy for the Housing Authority, tracking eviction demographics, ensuring fair housing practices, creating a loan pool for homeownership and more.
Staff included 29 viable economic empowerment and business development reparations.
The list includes paying each African American what $300 in 1619 plus interest up to 2024 is worth today. According to an online inflation calendar, which goes back to 1635, that would be more than $11,000.
It also includes dedicating a significant share of second-round ARPA Economic Development funds to Black-owned businesses in Olympia.
The city may establish a private fund for reparations, and provide direct cash payments to individuals harmed by racial discrimination. The list also includes establishing a Black-owned bank in the city.
Staff also may track available funding and incentives from federal, state, local and private sources that can support economic development in the Black community.
The city will also consider settlements for property value lost in “urban renewal,” or land redevelopment. Settlements could be in the amount of $148,000.
Another consideration is to possibly provide funding to 300 new and existing Black-owned businesses to help them become sustainable over a five-year period.
There were eight criminal justice and social equity reparations options listed as viable in city documents. They include providing assistance to residents for the expungement of cannabis charges, and establishing a permanent criminal justice reform subcommittee.
The city may also consider eliminating cash bail and bond systems by ordinance, as well as address housing barriers for those with criminal convictions.
Another consideration on the list is to eliminate traffic stops based solely on equipment infractions. This includes broken lights and missing mirrors.
There were six funding mechanisms identified alongside setting up a private fund for reparations.
The city could create a $2 million reparations endowment fund within four years through a combination of cannabis tax revenue and funds borrowed from reserves. The money would be repaid with annual certified free cash, or unused year-end funds.
That endowment fund could be augmented with money from the Community Preservation Act and Community Development Block Grants.
The city also could collaborate with private citizens to establish a charity fund, and additional funding could be pursued through other private foundations. Development impact fees could also be a source of funding.
The entire list which includes 378 options and categories such as health care and well-being, cultural and community restoration, education, workforce development and more can be viewed on the city’s website under documents included in the April 28 Social Justice and Equity Commission meeting.
