Falmouth Housing Coordinator Resigns
Carla Feroni has submitted her resignation as Falmouth’s housing coordinator, effective Monday, November 29.
“We’re very sad that Carla has decided to move on but she’s done so much good for the town as our first housing coordinator over the last four years,” said Edward Curley, chairman of the affordable housing committee.
Ms. Feroni was hired in September 2017. Mr. Curley, who has been on the affordable housing committee for nearly nine years, said the impact she had when she came to Falmouth was huge.
“For the first five years of [my time on the AHC], we had no housing coordinator and the committee really had no link to town hall,” Mr. Curley said. “The town planner was linked to the planning board, so we struggled to get on his radar and it wasn’t always successful. When we hired a housing coordinator and Carla came in, she was our liaison to town hall, so she would know what was going on there and we would find out and we would communicate our ideas through her, so it was an important link between the affordable housing committee and town hall. She did a great job of that.”
In addition to acting as a liaison between the committee and town hall, one of the biggest initiatives Ms. Feroni worked on was the revamping of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund. It was officially established about 10 years ago but under Ms. Feroni’s stewardship new guidelines were implemented, a working group was created and great improvements were made in the years that followed. Mr. Curley said that there have been virtually no problems with the affordable housing fund since Ms. Feroni took over, and attributes its success largely to her efforts.
“Carla helped set up a robust process,” Mr. Curley said. “She consulted with experts as needed, lawyers and others, to make sure that the money was handled properly and helped work with town staff and the working group she established to make sure that proper financial controls were in place so developers who were awarded money actually did what they said they were going to do. That’s all been very important I think, just to help the town get to the point it got to in November.”
Mr. Curley said he hopes that the affordable housing committee will be included in the recruitment and hiring process for a new housing coordinator.
“It would be to the town’s advantage to do that sooner rather than later,” he said. “You don’t want to have a six-month hiatus, although we’ve had issues with finding an assistant town planner, for instance, and DPW folks and so forth. It’s difficult to find people to come into leadership positions here in Falmouth partly because of the housing shortage here. We’re looking forward to working with the town manager and assistant town manager in reviewing applicant resumés or whatever might be involved. We’re here to help and advise.”
The resignation of the town’s housing coordinator was discussed at the select board meeting on Monday, November 22.
“She has worked hard for all my projects and other affordable housing developers, and for the Falmouth Housing Trust and Falmouth Housing Corporation. She is going to be sorely missed,” developer Michael Galasso said, highlighting her work in helping to craft warrant articles that passed at last week’s town meeting. The initiatives raise money for the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund.
He was before the select board Monday, when the board approved a regulatory agreement for his most recent affordable housing project at Megansett Crossing.
“I am at a critical part of this project right now and I have some concern who is going to fill in for her. Is there an opportunity for her to extend her stay?” he asked.
Town Manager Julian M. Suso said he could not comment on her resignation but said he has been in touch with her.
“We’ll have a process in place going forward,” he said.
Select board member Onjale Scott Price also praised Mr. Feroni’s work in the community.
“She will be sorely missed and I want to recognize all work she put in. She’s done a lot of really good work to support affordable housing, to make sure we do it right, in our community,” Ms. Scott Price said.
The chairman shared the sentiment.
“She put us on the path we are on now,” Douglas C. Brown said.
During the November Town Meeting last week, three articles were approved that had been formed by town’s affordable housing committee, with Ms. Feroni’s help.
Articles 15 and 16 would raise money for the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund to subsidize building new affordable homes in Falmouth. Article 15 increases the local room excise tax from 5 to 6 percent and article 16 will impose a community impact fee of no more than 3 percent on short-term rentals, like the popular online booking service Airbnb. It would apply to property owners who rent more than one short-term rental. Town Meeting also passed a $4 million in capital funding expenditure from free cash and placing it into the fund.
Falmouth Director of Personnel Denise Coleman said that the job opening for housing coordinator has been posted and the town is currently accepting applications.
Falmouth Director of Personnel Denise Coleman said that the job opening for housing coordinator has been posted and the town is currently accepting applications.