Minutes Of A Regular Meeting
Of The Board Of The
Lancaster County Housing Authority
June 22, 2010, 4:30 P.M.
202 North Prince Street, Suite 400
Lancaster, PA 17603
The members of the Board of the Lancaster County Housing Authority met Tuesday, June 22, 2010. The meeting was at the offices of the Lancaster County Housing Authority, 202 North Prince Street.
Members of the
Board in attendance were: Cindy Stewart, Jim Shultz, Miriam Fletcher, Gerald
Robinson and Ed Fisher.
Staff members present were: Matthew T. Sternberg, Executive Director; Teresa Danforth, Housing Services Director;
Michael Brightbill, Controller; Aimee Tyson, Community Development Director;
Stephen Glatfelter, Community Development Assistant; and Marian Joyce,
Secretary.
Ms. Stewart called the meeting to order at 4:40 p.m. and welcomed Mr. Robinson to the Board.
Public Comment – None
Bills or Communications – None
Report of the Executive Director – is attached hereto, and made a part hereof. Mr. Sternberg updated the Board on the Housing Voucher Utilization status and answered some general background questions for Mr. Robinson. Ms. Danforth explained that the average cost per unit that the Authority pays for rent is creeping up because of the economy, and gave a brief overview of the Section 8 waiting list.
The 2009 Audit was approved on a motion by Mr. Shultz, second by Ms. Fletcher,
and unanimously accepted. Prior to its approval, Mr. Brightbill, Controller,
facilitated a conference call between the Board and Mike Maurice of Polcari
and Company, Auditors. Mr. Maurice reviewed the highlights of the audit and
he and Mr. Brightbill answered Board questions about the document, specifically
restricted and unrestricted income, implications of revenue being greater than
expenses, flexibility the Authority has re: spending those dollars on programs
or assisting clients. Mr. Sternberg also emphasized the need to ensure enough
dollars are kept in reserve as HUD funding varies from year to year.
Mr. Maurice responded to a question about timing of the audit report by
explaining that Polcari came to the Authority to do fieldwork in April
because a required HUD online reporting tool was unavailable till then. This
was due to a software upgrade that caused the program to crash so staff were
unable to enter the data. Once Polcari got the drafts back in May, they
incorporated the edits and forwarded the audit for the next Board meeting.
The Financial Report for the month of May 2010 was approved on a motion by Mr. Shultz, second by Ms. Fletcher, and unanimously accepted.
Committee Reports – None
Old Business – None
New Business:
1) The Board approved a cooperation agreement between the Housing Authority of the City of Lancaster, Tabor Community Services Inc., and the Lancaster County Housing Authority. Mr. Sternberg explained the Family Self Sufficiency program and noted that the program could also be used to work towards home ownership. Instead of using the subsidy to rent, clients could use it to help pay for a mortgage. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Shultz, second by Mr. Fisher and unanimously carried. (A copy of said Resolution [Jun 10 #2] is attached hereto, and made a part hereof).
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of the Lancaster County Housing Authority to authorize the Executive Director to execute a Cooperation Agreement among Tabor Community Services, Inc., the Housing Authority of the City of Lancaster, and the Lancaster County Housing Authority, governing the operation of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of the Lancaster County Housing Authority agrees to provide a maximum of FIFTY-ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-SIX AND 00/100 ($51,796.00) DOLLARS from the Family Self-Sufficiency Grant, to be received through the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to Tabor Community Services, Inc. to cover the Authority’s share of the annual administrative costs associated with operating the Family Self -Sufficiency Program from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011.
2) The Board heard an update from Mr. Sternberg and Ms. Danforth on the impact of HUD’s staff cuts on the Family Self Sufficiency/Home Ownership Program, which is a joint program with the Lancaster City Housing Authority. Ms. Danforth explained that HUD reduced their funding from three staff positions to two. She noted that this affects the caseload Tabor can carry, forcing it to contract from 80 participants to approx. 60 and it also affects the home ownership element. Discussion followed on whether to continue the home-ownership portion of the FSS program after the initial goal of 25 is met, with staff eliciting input from the Board in order to take their feedback into account going forward.
Other Business – None
Ms. Stewart announced that the next meeting of the Board of the Lancaster County Housing Authority is expected to be held Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at 4:30 p.m. at the offices of the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities, 202 North Prince Street, Suite 400, Lancaster, PA.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:41 p.m.
Marian C. Joyce, Secretary