Big Government Can Now Choose Your Neighbors and Property Value

The Omnibus budget bill contains a laundry list of items being funded, which continue the failed big government policies of the federal government. One of the most egregious items is the new Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules on housing, called the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), which will strip away local control of planning and development across the country. In brief, HUD’s new rule forces local governments to accept the federal government’s plans of how any new housing developments will incorporate low income housing regardless of location or access to public transportation. If the AFFH ruling is passed, it will take away the most fundamental role of local governments in regards to land use, zoning and urban planning.

As I wrote earlier this year on RedState:

“Contrary to the language of the new ruling, there is nothing improved or better about these HUD guidelines. Put simply, if your community receives money from HUD, you will be forced to make housing decisions according to what the federal government deems as “fair housing,” or you will lose funding for your community. In the end, low income families will lose access to federal funding from HUD as local governments opt out of HUD grants to maintain local control over development. Local governments are best suited to decide urban development plans because they know the education, transportation and housing needs of their constituents, while Washington, D.C. does not.”

Read more about the AFFH ruling here: http://www.redstate.com/diary/alecstates/2015/08/28/big-brother-hud-decides-property-value-neighbors/

Jon Russell is a Town Councilman in Culpeper, VA and Director of the American City County Exchange.