MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

LAWRENCE-DOUGLAS COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

 

January 28, 2008                                                                                              Edgewood Homes    

5:45 p.m.                                                                                                          Conference Room   

 

1.         Call of Roll. 

              The meeting was called to order at 5:45 p.m. by Chairman Smith.  Upon call of roll the following Commissioners answered present:

            Dave Clark

            Brenda O’Keefe          

            Charlie Dominguez

            Sonya Johnson

            Wes Smith

 

            Also present were Beverly Hyatt, Charlotte Knoche, Milton Scott, Vickie Butler and Barbara Huppee, LDCHA staff members. 

2.         A.        Approve Minutes of the December 17,  2007 Board of Commissioners Meeting.

            Commissioner Dominguez moved to approve the December Board minutes as presented.  Chairman Smith seconded the motion.  The motion carried.

3.         Receive Comments from Tenants and Public.

            There were no tenants or members of the public present.

4.         Financial Reports.  

            A.        Receive November 2007 Public Housing Financial Reports.     

            B.         Receive November 2007  Clinton Place Financial Reports.

            C.        Receive December Public Housing Year-end Financial Reports.

            D.        Receive December Clinton Place Year-end Financial Reports.

            E.         Receive Section 8 Year-end Financial Reports.

            The Year-end Financial Reports were not available for the meeting as they were still in the process of being prepared by the agency’s fee accountant as part of the 2007 year end closeout.  They will be received at the February 25th meeting.  The November reports were not presented at last month’s meeting due to the early date of that meeting. They were enclosed this

month for the Board to review.  The Board chose not to have a discussion of the November financials as that information was not current but will be as part of the December close-out reports presented next month in February.   There was no action taken on the financial agenda items.

5.         CONSENT AGENDA

            A.        Receive Executive Director’s Report.

            There being no discussion on the Executive Director’s Report, Commissioner Clark moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Chairman Smith seconded the motion.  The motion carried.                     

            6.         REGULAR AGENDA

                        A.  Resolution 992:  Receive Staff Proposal to the Community Commission on Homelessness to Develop and Operate the Housing Connection.

            Last fall the Board was notified that the Community Commission on Homelessness (CCH) was seeking agencies to volunteer to develop and implement a component of its plan to address homelessness in Lawrence.  The CCH stated that it would later issue a request for proposals from agencies that wanted to develop one or more of the housing types listed in its plan.  The LDCHA expressed interest in developing and implementing the Temporary Housing Clearinghouse.  The LDCHA has the space and the computer hard and software to undertake this as an in-kind contribution.  Ms. Huppee presented the LDCHA’s proposal to the board.  The clearinghouse has been renamed by the CCH to the Housing Connection.  That is the name used in the proposal.  The proposal outlined the responsibilities of the LDCHA in creating and operating the Housing Connection.  These included recruiting landlords, property owners, and others to donate lease or otherwise make available lodging for homeless persons for a period of time; to establish and maintain a computer database of landlords and property donors; to make the database available to case managers from local service agencies; to record and tract placement of individuals in the respective units; to provide technical assistance to landlords and donors including development of lease and contract documents and training in property management; to monitor and account for cash donations and other activities deemed necessary by the CCH.            Ms. Huppee stated the CCH would like to serve anybody that needs temporary housing as they are waiting to get permanent housing. They propose that these people who come through the temporary housing program have support services from the local service agencies. What the housing authority would like to do is facilitate the matching of the landlords and tenants and not run a housing program per se.  When a social service agency has an application, that application would be given to the Housing Connection.  The Housing Connection would then match a landlord, which has a unit that would meet conditions that have been previously established, with the applicant.   Commission Johnson inquired if the match is made, then the LDCHA is out of it?  Also, what is the LDCHA motivation for wanting to be part of this?  Ms. Huppee replied that this is part of the agency’s mission.  As a housing provider, the LDCHA sees this as a way for the agency to continue to provide services to this population. Commission Dominguez asked what population she was referring to.  Ms. Huppee replied, the homeless population.  If someone comes into this program with support services, they may be able to become successful, obtain and maintain housing. Commissioner Johnson stated that a lot of people that would be coming through this process would be people that the housing authority wouldn’t accept and would be that population that the housing authority would not be working with anyway.  Ms. Huppee stated that they may be those the housing authority is not working with at that moment in time; but if they were to get temporary housing and support services and able to be successful then the housing authority would be able to house them.  The Board continued its discussion including issues related to the proposed $55,673 budget, liability surrounding criminal background checks and relationship of the housing authority to the CCH.  The two-hour discussion ended with the item being tabled so that Ms. Huppee could submit the CCH proposal for legal review.  She stated she would email the legal opinion to the Board.  She also stated that she would inform the CCH that the housing authority’s proposal would be going back to the Board for a second review in February.

            B.  Discuss HUD-issued Amendment and Restated MTW Agreement, Initial Staff Review of Possible Changes under the New Agreement and Timeframe for Meeting Initial HUD Deadline. 

            The Board has been aware that HUD was making significant changes to the MTW program and would be issuing a new standardized MTW agreement for the 32 agencies participating in the demonstration.  The new document was received and distributed to the board earlier this month.  It was presented at the meeting.   Ms. Huppee stated that the new restated agreement had to be distributed to the public for a 30-day comment period after which the Board had to hold a public hearing.  Staff is not proposing any major revisions to the current MTW

program that might be allowed under the new authorizations before the 2009 Annual Plan process. Staff will conduct a full analysis of the current MTW program.  Staff has said over time weaknesses have been seen; but deferred taking any action as the agency was operating on one-year agreements and didn’t see it as beneficial to undertake a massive review if the program was going to be terminated.  When the Board signs this amended and restated agreement, it is not changing the agency’s current moving to work program, only agreeing to the new conditions that HUD outlines.   There are a number of things that are different under this agreement.  The Annual Plan document will be different.  The report format will be totally different, due 90 days after the end of the fiscal year.  This amended agreement gives the agency a lot of expanded authority with full discretion over all reserves. The only rule that has to be followed is that any change has to be covered under one of the expanded authorizations and has to go into the Annual Plan and approved by HUD.  The Annual Plan must link proposed changes to one of the Congressional mandates. If this agreement is not signed, then the LDCHA MTW program ends in 2009.  Commissioner O’Keefe asked if there were any changes on the tenant side of it, as far as rent.  Ms. Huppee stated that  would be part of the agency review, and staff will look at the rent structure with the full expansive public participation process again this time, as was first done.  Ms. Huppee stated that a board member should participate in that review, because if dramatic changes are recommended it would be important to have a board member be part of that discussion.  Commission O’Keefe stated that she definitely would like to be a part of that review not only as a board member but also as a tenant participant.  Commissioner Dominguez asked to be kept informed of the internal review.  Ms. Huppee stated the board will be kept informed all along the way and invited Commissioner Dominguez to be on the committee. Chairman Smith moved to send the amended and restated MTW agreement out for public comment.  Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously. 

7.         Calendar and Announcements.

             There were no announcements. 

8.         Adjournment.

           

 

 

 

            There being no further items of business, Commissioner Dominguez moved to adjourn.  Chairman Smith seconded the motion.  The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.  

           

 

 

________________________________                                _____________________________

Chairman                                                                                  Secretary                                  Attest