Mayor's Office Press Release
City of Houston Statement on GLO Review
November 23, 2021 -- The city of Houston released the following statement today:
“The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department has received a copy of the Texas General Land Office’s monitoring review of the Multifamily Rental Program.
HCDD is in the process of assessing the report.
"It is important to note that the GLO previously reviewed the City’s Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) 1, 2, and 3 and took no exceptions. The GLO also reviewed and approved all program guidelines before they were sent to the city council and subsequently approved. The City has operated under the GLO-approved guidelines for all issued NOFAs and will determine if changes are needed.
“Indeed, the report does not identify any violations of law, regulations or contractual provisions, as asserted by the City during the review process. The report found no conflict of interest violations of law or regulation.
“The GLO believes, like the City, that the Administration may consider qualitative factors in the selection process. GLO recommends though, that such qualitative factors be reflected in the published NOFA for the project, and that the use of Administrative discretion for items not reflected in the NOFA be limited to instances of extenuating and unforeseen circumstances and documented accordingly.
"Once the City completes its review, we will send a timely response to GLO. The City is committed, as it always has been, to transparency and improving its Housing processes.”