EZ Policy Blog

A very successful CAEZ conference has just wrapped up in Modesto, CA.  I would like to personally express my gratitude to all of those responsible for organizing and executing a great conference, and to all of the presenters who provided practical, relevant and timely information.  Thank you.

I will post a series of entries on the main items covered at the conference, beginning with some updates from HCD:

1. The new vouchering form, which was supplied in a draft form, will be released for use on 11/1/07.  The new form will not be required until 1/1/08, but everyone is encouraged to implement it as soon as possible.
2. The applications for the eight new Enterprise Zones are due on 11/16/07.  While there was initially an expectation that there may be as many as two applications for every opening, HCD now feels that there will almost certainly be nine applications and likely a small number more than that.
3. Regarding the regulation that makes it sound as if there is a limit to how far back a zone can issue vouchers in an expired EZ, HCD was very clear that this was never the intention of the regulation.  They committed to issuing a memo that would clearly state that HCD’s interpretation of the statute and regulation is that there is no limit to ability of a taxpayer to request a voucher retroactively.
4. The question of acceptable TEA documentation has become a serious issue.  There are concerns with the continued use of I-9 forms in this capacity and HCD is working toward offering alternatives.  It is clear that they are very open to well-reasoned suggestions.
5. The prevailing nervousness of vouchering agents to issue vouchers continues to be problem.  HCD is working toward publishing, as soon as possible, the results of voucher appeals that they have decided on.  This, as well as their future audits of the local vouchering procedures, will hopefully enable the vouchering agents to understand the level of flexibility they can apply.  For example, it was clear from the discussion, that it is inappropriate for a voucher to be rejected if the hire date on the supporting document is simply several days different than the date on the application.

To be continued…