PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Housing Development Authority is releasing for public comment a draft plan to use $50 million of federal grants for housing infrastructure.

But the commissioners who oversee the authority decided Tuesday to delay planning the use of $150 million from state funds. That money was also to be used for housing infrastructure. The commissioners want to wait until after the Legislature provides further clarification.

State lawmakers provided a total of $200 million to the authority for infrastructure loans and grants in the final days of the 2022 legislative session.

Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1033 into law but also told lawmakers in a letter that the legislation seemed poorly written. The Legislature’s Executive Board tried to remedy her concern, meeting with the authority’s attorney, Dixie Hieb, on April 25, but lawmakers’ action on May 16 evidently wasn’t enough.

The authority’s commission held a closed-door executive session Tuesday before emerging to take action on two resolutions.

The first resolution authorized the authority’s staff to offer a draft plan for using the federal $50 million. The plan will be posted for 14 days and a public hearing is set for July 7. The draft plan will be posted on the authority’s website. The commission will then consider a final version of the plan at a later date.

The second resolution called for a delay in planning the use of $100 million for loans and $50 million for grants from the state general fund for housing infrastructure until after the Legislature better explains its intent.

Both resolutions passed on 5-0 votes. Neither one drew any comment from a commissioner or anyone else participating in the meeting.

The Legislature would need to hold a special session specifically on the housing legislation later this year — neither the House nor the Senate is air-conditioned — or wait until the 2023 regular session opens Tuesday, January 10.