[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 229 (Friday, November 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76088-76090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26192]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-6236-N-01]


Notice of Certain Operating Cost Adjustment Factors for 2021

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing 
Commissioner, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice establishes operating cost adjustment factors 
(OCAFs) for project-based assistance contracts issued under Section 8 
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and renewed under the 
Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 
(MAHRA) for eligible multifamily housing projects having an anniversary 
date on or after February 11, 2021. OCAFs are annual factors used to 
adjust Section 8 rents renewed under section 515 or section 524 of 
MAHRA.

DATES: Applicability Date: February 11, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carissa Janis, Program Analyst, Office 
of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight, Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; telephone 
number 202-402-2487 (this is not a toll-free number). Hearing- or 
speech-impaired individuals may access this number through TTY by 
calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. OCAFs

    Section 514(e)(2) and section 524(c)(1) of MAHRA (42 U.S.C. 1437f 
note) require HUD to establish guidelines for the development of OCAFs 
for rent adjustments. Sections 524(a)(4)(C)(i), 524(b)(1)(A), and 
524(b)(3)(A) of MAHRA, all of which prescribe the use of the OCAF in 
the calculation of renewal rents, contain similar language. HUD has 
therefore used a single methodology for establishing OCAFs, which vary 
among states and territories.
    MAHRA gives HUD broad discretion in setting OCAFs, referring, for 
example, in sections 524(a)(4)(C)(i), 524(b)(1)(A), 524(b)(3)(A), and 
524(c)(1), to simply ``an operating cost adjustment factor established 
by the Secretary.'' The sole limitation to this grant of authority is a 
specific requirement in each of the foregoing provisions that 
application of an OCAF ``shall not result in a negative adjustment.'' 
Contract rents are adjusted by applying the OCAF to that portion of the 
rent attributable to operating expenses exclusive of debt service.
    The OCAFs provided in this notice are applicable to eligible 
projects having a contract anniversary date of February 11, 2021, or 
after and were calculated using the same method as those published in 
HUD's 2020 OCAF notice published on November 22, 2019 (84 FR 64553). 
Specifically, OCAFs are calculated as the sum of weighted component 
cost changes for wages, employee benefits, property taxes, insurance, 
supplies and equipment, fuel oil, electricity, natural gas, and water/
sewer/trash, using publicly available indices. The weights used in the 
OCAF calculations for each of the nine cost component groupings are set 
using current percentages attributable to each of the nine expense 
categories. These weights are calculated in the same manner as in the 
November 22, 2019, notice. Average expense proportions were calculated 
using three years of audited Annual Financial Statements from projects 
covered by OCAFs. The expenditure percentages for these nine categories 
have been found to be very stable over time but using three years of 
data increases their stability. The nine cost component weights were 
calculated at the state level, which is the lowest level of 
geographical aggregation with enough projects to permit statistical 
analysis. These data were not available for the Western Pacific 
Islands, so data for Hawaii were used as the best available indicator 
of OCAFs for these areas.
    The best current price data sources for the nine cost categories 
were used in calculating annual change factors. State-

[[Page 76089]]

level data for fuel oil, electricity, and natural gas from Department 
of Energy surveys are relatively current and continue to be used. Data 
on changes in employee benefits, insurance, property taxes, and water/
sewer/trash costs are available only at the national level. The data 
sources used for the selected nine cost indicators are as follows:
    <bullet> Labor Costs: First quarter, 2020 Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) ECI, Private Industry Wages and Salaries, All Workers 
(Series ID CIU2020000000000I) at the national level and Private 
Industry Benefits, All Workers (Series ID CIU2030000000000I) at the 
national level.
    <bullet> Property Taxes: Census Quarterly Summary of State and 
Local Government Tax Revenue--Table 1 https://www.census.gov/econ/currentdata/dbsearch?program=QTAX&startYear=2018&endYear=2020&categories=QTAXCAT1&dataType=T01&geoLevel=US¬Adjusted=1&submit=GET+DATA&releaseScheduleId=.
 Twelve-month property taxes are computed as the total of four quarters 
of tax receipts for the period from April through March. Total 12-month 
taxes are then divided by the number of occupied housing units to 
arrive at average 12-month tax per housing unit. The number of occupied 
housing units is taken from the estimates program at the Bureau of the 
Census. http://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/data/histtab8.xlsx.
    <bullet> Goods, Supplies, Equipment: May 2019 to May 2020 Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index, All Items Less Food, 
Energy and Shelter (Series ID CUUR0000SA0L12E) at the national level.
    <bullet> Insurance: May 2019 to May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistic 
(BLS) Consumer Price Index, Tenants and Household Insurance Index 
(Series ID CUUR0000SEHD) at the national level.
    <bullet> Fuel Oil: October 2019-March 2020 U.S. Weekly Heating Oil 
and Propane Prices report. Average weekly residential heating oil 
prices in cents per gallon excluding taxes for the period from October 
7, 2019, through the week of March 30, 2020, are compared to the 
average from October 1, 2018, through the week of March 25, 2019. For 
the States with insufficient fuel oil consumption to have separate 
estimates, the relevant regional Petroleum Administration for Defense 
Districts (PADD) change between these two periods is used; if there is 
no regional PADD estimate, the U.S. change between these two periods is 
used. http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_wfr_a_EPD2F_prs_dpgal_w.htm.
    <bullet> Electricity: Energy Information Agency, February 2020 
``Electric Power Monthly'' report, Table 5.6.B. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_06_b.
    <bullet> Natural Gas: Energy Information Agency, Natural Gas, 
Residential Energy Price, 2018-2019 annual prices in dollars per 1,000 
cubic feet at the state level. Due to EIA data quality standards 
several states were missing data for one or two months in 2019; in 
these cases, data for these missing months were estimated using data 
from the surrounding months in 2019 and the relationship between that 
same month and the surrounding months in 2018. http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_pri_sum_a_EPG0_PRS_DMcf_a.htm.
    <bullet> Water and Sewer: May 2019 to May 2020 Consumer Price 
Index, All Urban Consumers, Water and Sewer and Trash Collection 
Services (Series ID CUUR0000SEHG) at the national level.
    The sum of the nine cost component percentage weights equals 100 
percent of operating costs for purposes of OCAF calculations. To 
calculate the OCAFs, state-level cost component weights developed from 
AFS data are multiplied by the selected inflation factors. For 
instance, if wages in Virginia comprised 50 percent of total operating 
cost expenses and increased by 4 percent from 2019 to 2020, the wage 
increase component of the Virginia OCAF for 2021 would be 2.0 percent 
(50% * 4%). This 2.0 percent would then be added to the increases for 
the other eight expense categories to calculate the 2021 OCAF for 
Virginia. For states where the calculated OCAF is less than zero, the 
OCAF is floored at zero. The OCAFs for 2021 are included as an Appendix 
to this Notice.

II. MAHRA OCAF Procedures

    Sections 514 and 515 of MAHRA, as amended, created the Mark-to-
Market program to reduce the cost of federal housing assistance, to 
enhance HUD's administration of such assistance, and to ensure the 
continued affordability of units in certain multifamily housing 
projects. Section 524 of MAHRA authorizes renewal of Section 8 project-
based assistance contracts for projects without restructuring plans 
under the Mark-to-Market program, including projects that are not 
eligible for a restructuring plan and those for which the owner does 
not request such a plan. Renewals must be at rents not exceeding 
comparable market rents except for certain projects. As an example, for 
Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation projects, other than single room 
occupancy projects (SROs) under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 11301 et seq.), that are eligible for renewal under 
section 524(b)(3) of MAHRA, the renewal rents are required to be set at 
the lesser of: (1) The existing rents under the expiring contract, as 
adjusted by the OCAF; (2) fair market rents (less any amounts allowed 
for tenant-purchased utilities); or (3) comparable market rents for the 
market area.

III. Findings and Certifications Environmental Impact

    This notice sets forth rate determinations and related external 
administrative requirements and procedures that do not constitute a 
development decision affecting the physical condition of specific 
project areas or building sites. Accordingly, under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(6), 
this notice is categorically excluded from environmental review under 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321).

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act

    This notice does not impact the information collection requirements 
already submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, an agency may not conduct 
or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless the collection displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

V. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program 
is 14.195.

Dana T. Wade,
Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner.

APPENDIX

               Operating Cost Adjustment Factors for 2021
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Alabama........................................................      2.6
Alaska.........................................................      2.3
Arizona........................................................      2.1
Arkansas.......................................................      2.4
California.....................................................      2.7
Colorado.......................................................      2.4
Connecticut....................................................      2.6
Delaware.......................................................      2.2
District of Columbia...........................................      2.7
Florida........................................................      2.5
Georgia........................................................      2.5
Hawaii.........................................................      2.0
Idaho..........................................................      2.5
Illinois.......................................................      2.6
Indiana........................................................      2.5
Iowa...........................................................      2.7

[[Page 76090]]

 
Kansas.........................................................      2.0
Kentucky.......................................................      2.4
Louisiana......................................................      2.2
Maine..........................................................      2.2
Maryland.......................................................      2.5
Massachusetts..................................................      2.3
Michigan.......................................................      2.5
Minnesota......................................................      2.4
Mississippi....................................................      2.4
Missouri.......................................................      2.0
Montana........................................................      2.0
Nebraska.......................................................      2.5
Nevada.........................................................      2.7
New Hampshire..................................................      2.6
New Jersey.....................................................      2.8
New Mexico.....................................................      2.2
New York.......................................................      2.0
North Carolina.................................................      2.6
North Dakota...................................................      2.5
Ohio...........................................................      2.3
Oklahoma.......................................................      2.2
Oregon.........................................................      2.4
Pacific Islands................................................      2.0
Pennsylvania...................................................      2.4
Puerto Rico....................................................      2.5
Rhode Island...................................................      2.4
South Carolina.................................................      2.6
South Dakota...................................................      2.3
Tennessee......................................................      2.4
Texas..........................................................      2.8
Utah...........................................................      2.3
Vermont........................................................      1.8
Virgin Islands.................................................      2.0
Virginia.......................................................      2.6
Washington.....................................................      2.3
West Virginia..................................................      2.2
Wisconsin......................................................      2.8
Wyoming........................................................      2.2
US.............................................................      2.5
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[FR Doc. 2020-26192 Filed 11-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P