To: Board of Supervisors
From: Internal Operations Committee
Report Title: AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE COMMITTEE (AHFC)
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE amendments to the bylaws of the Affordable Housing Finance Committee to modify the seat designations and office terms, increase the meeting frequency to quarterly, and strengthen attendance requirements.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
The AHFC advises the Board of Supervisors on funding allocations for affordable housing projects in Contra Costa County and has faced challenges with meeting quorum in recent years.
At its regular meeting on November 24, 2025, the Internal Operations Committee interviewed applicants for vacant seats on the AHFC and considered staff's recommendations to modify the AHFC’s bylaws to promote a meeting quorum and improve attendance.
The Board of Supervisors adopted the Bylaws of the AHFC on March 2, 2021. The AHFC currently consists of seven seats, including:
• Three city representative seats (one from each sub-region of the County, currently residing in an incorporated city);
• Three County representative seats (one from each sub-region of the County, currently residing in an unincorporated area of the County); and
• One Community/At-Large representative seat (currently residing in the County, either incorporated or unincorporated).
The Department of Conservation and Development solicits nominations for AHFC representatives, which are reviewed by the Internal Operations Committee and approved by the Board of Supervisors. AHFC terms last three years, and members must reside in Contra Costa County. All members need professional experience in affordable housing finance, design, development, or property management, whether they are retired or active.
Current Status of Prior Annual AHFC Meetings -
o The 2025 AHFC meeting on May 20 was canceled due to a lack of quorum, and no suitable rescheduling date was found before the June 24 Board meeting for funding approval.
• The 2024 AHFC meeting on June 5 was canceled due to a lack of quorum, and no alternative date was available before the June 25 Board meeting for funding approval.
• The 2023 AHFC meeting on April 10 lacked quorum and was rescheduled twice, eventually succeeding on April 21.
Current Status of Representative Appointments -
Attachment A provides the current membership status of the AHFC. As of June 30, 2025, there are four vacant seats on the AHFC, and efforts are underway to recruit qualified representatives to fill these positions. Repeated recruitment has not attracted qualified applicants for incorporated area seat vacancies.
To remediate the quorum issues and enable the AHFC to convene and function as intended, the IOC recommends the following changes to the AHFC bylaws, as reflected in the mark-up version (Attachment B) and final proposed changes (Attachment C):
1. Increase the frequency of the AHFC regular meetings to up to four times a year, with published meeting dates/times.
2. Revise the six City/County representative seats to instead be five representatives, one per County Supervisorial District, and add one Community/At-Large Representative seat for a total of two, keeping the total seats at seven.
3. Increase the seat term for new appointments from three to four years.
4. Add attendance requirements and criterion for constructive resignation for failure to attend meetings.
The changes aim to improve the committee's effectiveness by making it easier to fill vacancies and ensure regular attendance for quorum.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the recommendations not be approved, the AHFC will continue to struggle to fill vacant seats and may be unable to meet and function due to a lack of quorum.