Oti Kaga, Inc. v. South Dakota Housing Development Authority

342 F.3d 871, 2003 WL 22118954
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 15, 2003
Docket02-1673
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 342 F.3d 871 (Oti Kaga, Inc. v. South Dakota Housing Development Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oti Kaga, Inc. v. South Dakota Housing Development Authority, 342 F.3d 871, 2003 WL 22118954 (8th Cir. 2003).

Opinions

BYE, Circuit Judge.

Oti Kaga appeals the district court’s2 grant of summary judgment dismissing its eleven-count complaint against the South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) and its seven-member board. The complaint alleges SDHDA discriminated against Oti Kaga by rejecting its applications for tax credits under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) § 42, and for funding under the HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME Program), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12741-12756. We affirm.

I

Oti Kaga is a non-profit corporation established by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal government pursuant to the United [875]*875States Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. §§ 14S7-1437x. Oti Kaga’s purpose is to acquire, construct, and operate rental housing and related facilities on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation.

SDHDA is an independent public instrumentality exercising essential public functions under S.D. Codified Laws § 11 — 11— 10. SDHDA is responsible for, among other things, adopting and implementing a tax credit allocation plan pursuant to IRC § 42, as well as administering the state HOME Program in South Dakota. Appel-lees William Earley, John Rothstein, Kevin Culhane, Lynn Hager, Thomas Schramm and Leland Kleinsasser are members of SDHDA’s Board of Commissioners, and appellee Darlys Baum is SDHDA’s Executive Director. Baum and the board members were sued individually and in their official capacities.

Oti Kaga’s claims arise out of SDHDA’s administration of two federal housing programs. The first, the tax credit allocation program, is authorized by IRC § 42, and encourages investment in low-income housing projects. Under the tax credit allocation program, state housing agencies are responsible for allocating tax credits for the construction of low-income housing. IRC § 42(h)(3) limits the total number of housing credits a state may allocate annually, and IRC § 42(m) requires the credits to be allocated in accordance with a “qualified allocation plan.” The annual plan must be prepared by the state’s housing agency and approved by the governmental unit of which the agency is a part. IRC § 42(m)(l)(A)(i). SDHDA is the authorized housing agency for South Dakota. S.D. Codified Laws § 11-11-47.

The second program at issue is the HOME Program. The HOME Program provides federal housing funds directly to participating jurisdictions. The jurisdictions disburse those funds in the form of loans and grants “to provide incentives to develop and support affordable rental housing and home ownership affordability.” 42 U.S.C. § 12742(a)(1). Prior to 1998, states, certain municipalities, and Indian tribes were participating jurisdictions in the HOME Program. 42 U.S.C. § 12747(a)(2). Accordingly, each Indian tribe in South Dakota could apply directly to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for an Indian HOME Program allocation. Indian tribes could also apply to the state housing development authority for state HOME Program funds. According to HUD regulation 24 C.F.R. Part 92, “[a] State may fund projects on Indian reservations located within the State provided that the State includes Indian reservations in its consolidated plan.” Because of the separate allocation existing prior to 1998, SDHDA adopted annual HOME Program Plans which included reservation demographics but precluded the use of state HOME Program funds for tribal projects.

In 1996, Congress enacted the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 4101-4243. In conjunction with NAHASDA, Congress terminated several programs which had provided Indian housing assistance, including the Indian HOME Program. Thereafter, Indian housing assistance was funded directly through Indian Housing Block Grants (IHBG), 25 U.S.C. § 4111, and disbursed to recipients on the basis of Indian Housing Plans (IHP) prepared by the tribes and submitted to HUD. 25 U.S.C. § 4112. Unlike HOME Program funding, which is based on a competitive process, IHBGs are entitlement funds which tribes use to meet locally identified needs. 25 U.S.C. § 4116(b)(1).

Notwithstanding consolidation of Indian-funding programs under NAHASDA, HUD regulations implementing the [876]*876HOME Program continue to allow states the discretion to fund projects on Indian reservations provided the state includes the reservations in its annual HOME Program Plan. 24 C.F.R. § 92.201. Prior to passage of NAHASDA, SDHDA chose to include reservations in its annual plan but did not award state HOME Program funds to Indian reservations or other jurisdictions receiving separate allocations of funds.3 After NAHASDA became effective SDHDA continued this practice.

In March 1996, Oti Kaga, with the assistance of David Bland,4 submitted an application for tax credits to SDHDA in connection with a proposed housing development (Elk View I) located on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. Of the twenty-three applications for tax credits received by SDHDA in 1996, four came from Indian tribes. SDHDA considered the applications and ranked them from one to twenty-three according to its tax credit allocation plan, with one being the highest rated and twenty-three the lowest rated application. Oti Kaga’s application was ranked six out of twenty-three but, as with other higher ranked applications, it did not receive an award of tax credits. Only one of the tax credit awards went to an Indian sponsor. In addition to ranking criteria set out in IRC § 42(m)(l)(C)(i-viii), SDHDA considered the extent to which the sponsor of the application was ready to proceed. One member of SDHDA testified this factor weighed heavily against Oti Kaga. Another board member stated the board decided it should award one tax credit to an Indian tribe, and a lower ranked Indian-sponsored application was selected. In October 1996, Oti Kaga was subsequently awarded the tax credits after a successful applicant declined its award. Oti Kaga contends it was discriminated against because the decision to initially deny tax credits was based on race.

Oti Kaga intended to build Elk View I using tax credits and Indian Home Program funding obtained in 1996. It intended to build the second phase of the Elk View project (Elk View II) using tax credits and Indian Home Program funding awarded in 1997. Oti Kaga contends it suffered “distinct and palpable” injuries in connection with those planned projects caused by the delay in awarding tax credits in 1996.

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342 F.3d 871, 2003 WL 22118954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oti-kaga-inc-v-south-dakota-housing-development-authority-ca8-2003.