The MHI Annual meeting was held in Atlanta, Georgia September 20-23. The MHI Task Forces presented their reports and ideas on industry improvements as Construction Planning Guides and Timelines, Zoning Guidelines and a national Image Ad Campaign.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
UTAH GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Dale Zabriskie
State lawmakers cut $272 million in government spending, racing to meet a constitutional requirement to balance the budget before the state went into the red amid a stumbling economy. Nearly every state agency will receive a 3 percent budget cut to make up for the projected revenue shortfall. The cuts include reduced funding for Medicaid, the arts and services for people with disabilities. Some open positions in the Highway Patrol and state prison system won’t be filled and others will be eliminated. The budget the lawmakers approved cuts plenty of travel, administrative costs and jobs. It also reduces the amount of money the state will spend on new buildings, repairs and expansions by about $45 million. Legislators wanted to eliminate a tax cut that takes effect in January, but Governor Jon Huntsman insisted that self-employed workers needed the break.
Time To Build Relationships
Time to Build Relationships
by Linda Lindholm
Everything seems to be going up in price...gas, food, travel, you name it. Well, another thing going up is the pressure on our industry. National, state, county and local governments, regulatory agencies, resident groups and other all have agendas that impact your operations. Some jurisdictions want to ban manufactured, mobile and modular housing or close communities down, others want moratoriums on transition to another use, some lenders are no longer making viable finance options available for our products or developments. Potential purchasers unable to get financing or residents fearful of closures, have put tremendous pressure on political leaders to “do something”. The problem lies in what form that “something” takes.
The Housing Alliance and national Manufactured Housing Institute will support reasonable concepts that do not infringe on the business and property rights of our members. We are still committed to educating the local and state regulatory and legislative leadership about our industry and issues. We will oppose efforts to interfere with business or members’ rights, including unnecessary construction items like fire sprinklers and weather radios, or restrictive zoning, or unfair financial criteria or ordinances that impose moratoriums on building/ closing communities, mitigation fees, rent control, interference with the marketability of title or any other device that imposes unwarranted duties or fees on the manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, lenders or property owners.
No one denies the need for workforce housing , yet the irony is that these government bodies are way behind the curve in planning for and supplying affordable housing. Association members have been providing privately financed unsubsidized housing for decades and now, late to the game, some entities want to impose an uneven, unfair burden on our industry. Affordable housing is a society wide problem and the solutions should be equally borne across society. The states, financial institutes, regulators, counties, cities and even resident groups seem to simply ignore the fact that their decisions and actions actually deny citizens a stable housing option.
These pressures on our industry show no signs of abating. You must make a concerted effort to build on your current relationships with the state and local decision makers and get acquainted with elected officials. Get involved to make sure these representatives are aware of the true consequences of their proposals and how it impacts business. Right now is a critical time for you to engage those candidates on behalf of your particular sentiments and interests. They may not have taken a position on issues important to our industry. Your Executive Director and Lobbyist will be meeting with lawmakers and candidates, but it is more important that you join them. There are three things that every Housing Alliance member can do to help themselves, help the industry and help our legislative efforts in the future:
Register to vote;
Find out who the candidates are. The Secretary of State’s web site lists all the districts and candidates;
Contact the candidates. Attend public meetings, ask questions and if motivated, write them a check.
Get involved now! It is not hard and it will make a huge difference.
Utah Going for a Four Day Work Week
UTAH IS GOING TO A FOUR DAY WORK WEEK
Starting in August, it was “TGIT” for Utah state employees. As in “Thank God It’s Thursday.” In a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state’s energy costs and commuter’s gasoline expenses, just turning off lights, heat and air conditioning on Fridays in 1000 of 3,000 government buildings will save about $3 million dollars a year. Utah is the first state to switch to a four day workweek for thousands of government employees. They will put in 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, and have Fridays off, freeing them to do whatever strikes their fancy. The joke is that the biggest benefits will be for golf courses. The state employees will get paid the same as before. The order issued by Governor Jon Huntsman will affect about 17,000 out of 24,000 executive branch employees. It will not cover state police officers, prison guards or employees of the courts or Utah’s public universities. The compressed workweek in Utah – whose motto is “Industry” and whose official symbol is the beehive, representing thrift and perseverance— could prove inconvenient to those who need to use state services and find certain office closed on Fridays. However, many are excited about helping the environment, employee savings and attracting younger workers who prefer the flexible scheduling.
Factory Built Homes Definition
FACTORY BUILT HOMES DEFINITIONS Many types of structures are built in the factory and designed for longterm residential use. In the case of manufactured and modular homes, units are built in a factory, transported to the site and installed. In panelized and pre-cut homes, essentially flat subassemblies (factory-built panels or factory-cut building materials) are transported to the site and assembled. The different types of factory-built housing are summarized as follows:
Manufactured Homes : These are homes built entirely in the factory, transported to the site, and installed under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (commonly known as the HUD Code) went into effect June 15, 1976. The federal standards regulate manufactured housing design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality. The HUD Code also sets performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. It is the only federally-regulated national building code. On-site additions, such as garages, decks and porches, often add to the attractiveness of manufactured homes and are built to local, state or regional building codes.
Modular Homes: These factory-built homes are built to the state, local or regional code where the home will be located. Modules are transported to the site and installed.
Panelized Homes: These are factory-built homes in which panels— a whole wall with windows, doors, wiring and outside siding— are transported to the site and assembled. The homes must meet state or local building codes where they are sited.
Pre-Cut Homes : This is the name for factory-built housing in which building materials are factory-cut to design specifications, transported to the site and assembled. Pre-cut homes include kit, log and dome homes. These homes must meet local, state or regional building codes.
Mobile Homes: This is the term used for manufactured homes produced prior to June 15, 1976, when the HUD Code went into effect. By 1970, these homes were built to voluntary industry standards that were eventually enforced by 45 of the 48 contiguous states.
News From Other States
CALIFORNIA : California is enacting an emergency regulation with immediate effect requiring the exterior of manufacture homes that will be installed in designated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) to meet the exterior fire resistant design and construction requirements of the California Building Code. Manufactured housing installed in communities and parks is temporarily exempted. The same requirements already apply to all other residential construction. The emergency action could have a very costly impact on hundreds of homes currently in retail stock in California because requirements are triggered by the permit date for the installation not the manufacture date. California only had two initiatives on the ballot during the sparsely attended last election: Proposition 98 and Proposition 99. Prop 98 would have substantially curtailed the government’s ability to take private property under the power of eminent domain. It would also have prevented the government from taking property under the guise of price fixing regulation, by outlawing future rent control laws. Prop 99 was a watered down version of Prop 98, which lacked any protection from price fixing, and which only narrowly applied to certain owner occupied single family residences. The bottom line is that Prop 99 passed, and Prop 98 failed. The vote was approximately 39% for Prop 98 and 61% for Prop 99. This means the voters made a choice. Whether they made an informed choice is an open question. Backers of Prop 99 threw almost $12 million at defeating Prop 98. On the other hand, Prop 98 supporters (including the manufactured home community owners) raised about $6 million; a two to one margin which was difficult to overcome.
SOUTH CAROLINA - The South Carolina Legislature gave final approval to the Manufactured Housing Institute of South Carolina (MHISC) legislation allowing retailers to hire apprentice salespersons for a 120 day period. Apprentices will undergo background checks, but won’t have to have a bond, take the course and pass the test required by the state. Retailers will save money previously wasted on salespersons who didn’t work out.
OREGON - The Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) reports that Oregon manufacturers purchased 835 HUD labels during the month of August 2008. This is an increase of 22 labels (+2.7%) compared to the 813 labels purchased during August 2007. BCD also reports that Oregon manufacturers purchased 4,802 HUD labels from January through the end of August of 2008. They report that 6,205 HUD labels were purchased during the same months of 2007. On a year-todate basis, this represents a decrease of 1,403 labels (-22.6%) during 2008.
MINNESOTA - The Minnesota Legislature passed a bill that allows non-complying manufactured homes to be moved into a manufactured home community prior to completing the necessary repair work before it is installed or occupied.
The MHI Annual meeting was held in Atlanta, Georgia September 20-23. The MHI Task Forces presented their reports and ideas on industry improvements as Construction Planning Guides and Timelines, Zoning Guidelines and a national Image Ad Campaign. 
State lawmakers cut $272 million in government spending, racing to meet a constitutional requirement to balance the budget before the state went into the red amid a stumbling economy. Nearly every state agency will receive a 3 percent budget cut to make up for the projected revenue shortfall. The cuts include reduced funding for Medicaid, the arts and services for people with disabilities. Some open positions in the Highway Patrol and state prison system won’t be filled and others will be eliminated. The budget the lawmakers approved cuts plenty of travel, administrative costs and jobs. It also reduces the amount of money the state will spend on new buildings, repairs and expansions by about $45 million. Legislators wanted to eliminate a tax cut that takes effect in January, but Governor Jon Huntsman insisted that self-employed workers needed the break. 
FACTORY BUILT HOMES DEFINITIONS Many types of structures are built in the factory and designed for longterm residential use. In the case of manufactured and modular homes, units are built in a factory, transported to the site and installed. In panelized and pre-cut homes, essentially flat subassemblies (factory-built panels or factory-cut building materials) are transported to the site and assembled. The different types of factory-built housing are summarized as follows: 
CALIFORNIA : California is enacting an emergency regulation with immediate effect requiring the exterior of manufacture homes that will be installed in designated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) to meet the exterior fire resistant design and construction requirements of the California Building Code. Manufactured housing installed in communities and parks is temporarily exempted. The same requirements already apply to all other residential construction. The emergency action could have a very costly impact on hundreds of homes currently in retail stock in California because requirements are triggered by the permit date for the installation not the manufacture date. California only had two initiatives on the ballot during the sparsely attended last election: Proposition 98 and Proposition 99. Prop 98 would have substantially curtailed the government’s ability to take private property under the power of eminent domain. It would also have prevented the government from taking property under the guise of price fixing regulation, by outlawing future rent control laws. Prop 99 was a watered down version of Prop 98, which lacked any protection from price fixing, and which only narrowly applied to certain owner occupied single family residences. The bottom line is that Prop 99 passed, and Prop 98 failed. The vote was approximately 39% for Prop 98 and 61% for Prop 99. This means the voters made a choice. Whether they made an informed choice is an open question. Backers of Prop 99 threw almost $12 million at defeating Prop 98. On the other hand, Prop 98 supporters (including the manufactured home community owners) raised about $6 million; a two to one margin which was difficult to overcome. 
