approximately $5,000 that has been put into structural items that were not there five years ago.

    Rep. Biglow expressed concerns regarding affordable housing and how the stock of affordable homes is maintained from this point forward once the stock is established.

    Sen. Mansell said as long as a person's ongoing new stock stays down in price the old stock does not increase because of competition.

    Chair Montgomery asked Mr. Thorne to prepare for the next meeting a cost break down of all regulatory costs in building a house, along with other increased construction costs due to regulatory requirements. Rep. Biglow requested Mr. Thorne to break out the costs due to inflation. Mr. Crane asked to include a breakdown of what it costs to build a house.

    Mr. Steve Erickson, Director, Utah Housing Technical Assistance Program, distributed handouts of the affordability index and adjusted income limits. He explained the importance of the task force looking at the context of regulatory environment. He explained the affordability index and adjusted income limits. In summarizing, Mr. Erickson said we hope the state, in time, can move toward an understanding of a regional fair share approach to the burden of affordable housing.

    Mr. Nixon requested for Mr. Erickson to come back and report on what percentage of people in the state cannot afford housing and how it compares with the number of available units. In addition, the number of people that are living in homes today that cannot afford the home they are living in as a result of their income.

    Mr. Dan Lofgren, Home Builders Association of Utah, commented on Mr. Thorne's presentation. He indicated that many impacts Mr. Thorne discussed had nothing to do with affordability. It was the cities way of reacting to growth. His solution is going to a cooperative effort and indicated that there are tradeoffs being made that are unwise. Mr. Lofgren said on a national basis his association has estimated that antiquated provisions of the code may add as much as 20% to the cost of a home.

    Mr. Tom Godfrey, Council Member, Salt Lake City, and Member of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, discussed the extensiveness of the problem. He indicated for some people affordablity could be accomplished. Mr. Godfrey referred to the issue of mixed housing and its advantages and explained the stigma to affordable housing. In his summation, Mr. Godfrey expressed the league's concerns regarding the task force.

    Mr. William H. Erickson, Executive Director, Utah Housing Finance Agency, distributed handouts from which he gave his presentation. Using visual aids, he highlighted some of the

ideas. He noted that Utah's housing problem is not just one problem but is a series of very distinct housing problems. Each problem requires a different approach, different problematic characteristics, and different financing approaches to solve them. He said he would like to prepare a resolution to be presented to the committee.

Public Comment followed:

    Ms. Margaret Malherbe, Utah Association of Realtors, shared a practical example of two other barriers to fair housing: 1) salaries in Utah are not keeping up with the rise of housing costs; and 2) mortgage lending laws.     

    Ms. Karen Silver, Salt Lake Community Action Program, encouraged the committee to look at the recommendations of the governor's Housing Task Force. The idea of the trickling down concept and maintaining the quality of unites we have now does not always work.

    Ms. Annie Boone, Jedi Women, discussed barriers for public subsidized housing being funded through low income housing tax credits and those individuals who are in need of help not being able to qualify.

    Ms. Whitney Rourke, Utah Issues, said that home ownership is not the American dream.

    Chair Montgomery indicated that Sen. Mansell brought this bill up specifically referable to the regulatory barriers to affordable housing. This task force cannot address all of the issues. The committee has a specific charge to look at regulatory barriers. If the task force limits its efforts to this area, more time can be spent on the specific issue we are charged to study. He asked Mr. Erickson to draft a resolution for the next meeting.

4.    Task Force Round Table

    Committee members discussed specific issues they would like to address at the next committee meeting.

5.    Future Meeting Dates

    The next meeting will be held Tuesday, August 19 at 9:00 a.m.

6.    Adjourn

    The chair adjourned the meeting at 12:12 p.m.