Nashua Housing and Redevelopment Authority

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY HELD SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 The Commissioners of the Nashua Housing Authority (NHA) held its regular meeting at the office of the Nashua Housing Authority, 40 East Pearl Street, First Floor, Nashua, New Hampshire, at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, September 20, 2013. Chairperson Thomas Monahan called the meeting to order, and the Recording Secretary called the roll at approximately 8:37 a.m. with the following responses: Present Absent Thomas Monahan Selma Pastor James Tollner Paul Deschenes Eric Wilson The following persons were also present: Lori Wilshire, Alderman-at-Large, Aldermanic Liaison; Lynn Censabella, Executive Director; Scott Costa, Assistant Executive Director; Lisa Cox, Section 8 Program Manager; Judith Forrester, Finance Manager; Joy Scotina, Property Manager; James Floras, Property Manager; Sheila Galligan, Recording Secretary. MINUTES: The Chairperson entertained a motion to waive the reading of the Authority’s August 16, 2013 meeting minutes, to accept them and place them on file. Mrs. Pastor made the motion, and Mr. Deschenes seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there were any comments, additions/deletions, corrections, or discussion. There being none, the motion carried unanimously. COMMUNICATIONS: The Chairperson entertained a motion to waive the reading of the Communications, accept them, and place them on file. Mr. Wilson made the motion, and Mr. Deschenes seconded the motion. The Communications were as follows: Monthly Operational Reports – August 2013 – consisting of Public Housing and Section 8 Waiting List Report; Vacancy Report; Vacancy Report Compilation Sheet; Work Order Report; Rent Collections Report; Nashua Housing Authority After Hours Telephone Listing; Confidential memorandum dated September 13, 2013 from Ms. Censabella to the Board of Commissioners regarding Section 8 participant; Confidential memorandum dated September 13, 2013 from Ms. Censabella to the Board of Commissioners regarding personnel matters. The Chairperson asked if there were any comments, additions/deletions, corrections or discussion. There being no discussion, the motion carried unanimously. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT: Roof replacement work has begun at NHA developments. At this time, Vagge Village and the 101 Major Drive satellite office are undergoing construction. The contractor will then move on to replace the roofs at Atwood Court, Whitney Street, Lake Street, Pine Street, Rochette Avenue, Fossa Avenue, and the job will wrap up at Arel Manor. Mike Casper and Jennifer Hudon of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development visited NHA on Monday, September 9 to discuss the NHA’s approved Action Plan as a result of the 2013 REAC Inspections. Scott Costa and I were able to bring Mr. Casper and Ms. Hudon on a tour of some of the developments, and they were pleased with the measures NHA has taken to bring future REAC scores to an acceptable level. HUD is not requiring NHA to include anything further in its Action Plan, and NHA will submit updates to HUD detailing progress on the measures to achieve outcomes. In your packets, you will find a Resolution to accept the NHA’s Action Plan as submitted to HUD. The FY2014 Public Housing Operating Budget is included in today’s packets for your review and discussion.  Just when we thought we would be back to full staffing in the Public Housing Department, Sarah Brisk underwent unexpected surgery for a severely torn Achilles tendon. She is now back and has recovered from the procedure. Sarah has requested a spare golf cart from Mr. Monahan upon her return to allow her to better get around the developments. She has also requested a bull horn.  The Nashua Housing Authority was approached by HUD to administer an Enhanced Voucher Program as a result of Amherst Park having reached the end of its Use Agreement for HUD 202 funding. We have accepted the opportunity to provide additional vouchers and will begin working with Corcoran Management and HUD to determine the numbers of eligible families residing at Amherst Park. Right now the number of vouchers is unknown. Ms. Censabella reminded the Board that it’s the time of year for the Board to arrange a nominating committee for the Annual Meeting and Election of Officers to take place in October. The Chairperson entertained a motion to accept the Executive Director’s Report. Mr. Tollner made the motion, and Mr. Wilson seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there were any questions, comments, additions/deletions, corrections, or discussion. Ms. Censabella was asked to explain further about Amherst Park. She stated NHA has been working with HUD over the past few weeks gathering information. NHA had done something similar with Brook Village North years ago. This is a little different because Brook Village North opted out of its’ Section 8 contract renewal with HUD and prepaid its mortgage. For Amherst Park, we are looking at a Use Agreement that has expired, meaning that they were in receipt of HUD funds to provide low-income housing. That Use Agreement has now expired. Corcoran Management put in a request to HUD to ask for Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) to help their families when rents are raised to fair market level. The PBVs would assist families who would be paying more than 30 percent of their annual income toward rent. When HUD received their request, they were required to ask the housing authority in that jurisdiction to ask if it would be interested in administering Enhanced Vouchers. NHA will re-determine the income levels of families who are residing at Amherst Park. We will administer and receive a fee for overseeing the Enhanced Vouchers at Amherst Park, and those Vouchers become the NHA’s. This is an opportunity to obtain additional vouchers. We don’t know how many at this time. It’s very similar to what had occurred with Brook Village where NHA thought there could be as many as 160 vouchers but there were only about 95 that NHA ended up administering.  Mr. Monahan asked if the vouchers are project-based or portable. Ms. Censabella explained they are portable. According to the regulations, the owner, Corcoran Management, can request PBVs. If the NHA agrees to administer the vouchers, they cannot be project-based. It’s an automatic Enhanced Voucher Program. If a family takes an Enhanced Voucher, the NHA has several options. A resident could move from Amherst Park to wherever they wish with the Voucher. At Brook Village, NHA asked residents who took a Voucher to remain in place for a year so their landlord did not have a large number of vacancies. If it’s just a few, there’s no reason to tell the families they can’t move. If it is a large amount, we might want to consider asking them to stay in place at Amherst Park. Mr. Monahan asked how many units are at Amherst Park. Ms. Censabella said 128 or 138. It’s very similar to NHA’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project where NHA has a land-use agreement requiring us to provide low-income housing for a period of 30 years. I reached out to Peter Kaeller, Property Manager, to see if we could begin working together with Corcoran Management. The Chairperson asked if there were any further questions or comments. There being no further discussion, the motion carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS: RESOLUTION NO. 13-2219 BY THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY AWARDING CONTRACTS FOR INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY BUSINESS AND PROPERTY NEEDS TO HOUSING INSURANCE SERVICES, INC. AND HOUSING INSURANCE ENTERPRISE COMPANY, INC. 189 COMMERCE COURT, CHESHIRE, CT 06410 AT A TOTAL CONTRACT COST OF $96,727 UNDER THE PUBLIC HOUSING OPERATING BUDGET AND AWARDING CONTRACTS FOR NASHUA PARK VIEW APARTMENTS, LLC BUSINESS AND PROPERTY NEEDS TO HOUSING INSURANCE SERVICES, INC. 189 COMMERCE COURT, CHESHIRE, CT 06410 AT A TOTAL CONTRACT COST OF $3,858 UNDER THE NASHUA PARK VIEW APARTMENTS, LLC BUDGET  Mr. Tollner made the motion to accept Resolution 13-2219, and Mr. Wilson seconded the motion. Mr. Tollner asked if the insurance goes out to bid annually and why there was only one bid this year. Ms. Censabella explained historically it’s a common occurrence in this industry and it’s a specialty area given the large amount of properties we have. She further explained the dividends make it beneficial in the end. Mr. Tollner asked that next year, NHA ask Manchester if they have the same issues. The Chairperson asked if there was any further discussion. There being no further discussion, the Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously. RESOLUTION NO. 13-2220 BY THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY APPROVING THE PUBLIC HOUSING TENANT ACCOUNT RECEIVABLES (TAR) WRITE-OFFS FOR $21,786.13 FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 The Chairperson entertained a motion to approve Resolution 13-2220. Mr. Tollner made the motion to accept, and Mrs. Pastor seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there was any discussion. Mr. Tollner asked about the highest balances. Ms. Censabella explained the individual situations. Mr. Tollner asked what repercussions are involved when a resident leaves owing a balance. Ms. Censabella explained historically it hasn’t been cost effective to go after residents who have left owing money as they are unable to pay and NHA would incur legal fees to find them. Debt is recorded in Enterprise Income Verification System, and the person is flagged if they apply for housing elsewhere in the country. They will be unable to receive benefits until they pay off the debt.  The Chairperson asked if there was any further discussion. There being none, Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously. The Board agreed to move Resolution 13-2221 out of order for consideration after entering into Nonpublic Session to discuss personnel matters. AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously.  RESOLUTION NO. 13-2222 BY THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY ACCEPTING THE ACTION AND RECOVERY PLAN AS SUBMITTED TO THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT The Chairperson entertained a motion to approve Resolution No. 13-2222. Mr. Tollner made the motion, and Mr. Wilson seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there was any discussion. Mr. Tollner asked if there was anything in the Action and Recovery Plan that caused concern. Ms. Censabella stated HUD visited NHA and were brought to Bronstein where they were very pleased with the actions NHA has taken. Work is organized in binders, and NHA is on top of everything. There being no further discussion, the Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously. RESOLUTION NO. 13-2223 BY THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY APPROVING AMENDMENT TO ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS CONTRACT (ACC) TO INCLUDE CAPITAL FUND PROGRAM (CFP) NH36P00250113 FOR $798,002 FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 The Chairperson entertained a motion to approve Resolution No. 13-2223. Mr. Tollner made the motion, and Mrs. Pastor seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there was any discussion. There being no discussion, the Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously. NONPUBLIC SESSION: At 9 a.m., the Chairperson entertained a motion to enter Nonpublic Session to discuss the confidential memoranda from Ms. Censabella regarding a Section 8 participant and personnel matters. Mr. Wilson made the motion, and Mr. Deschenes seconded it. The Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously, and Nonpublic Session began at 9 a.m. The Chairperson entertained a motion to rise from Nonpublic Session at 9:15 a.m. Mr. Wilson made the motion, and Mr. Deschenes seconded it. The Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously, and Nonpublic session ended at 9:15 a.m. RESOLUTION NO. 13-2221 BY THE NASHUA HOUSING AUTHORITY APPROVING THE PUBLIC HOUSING OPERATING BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 After discussion, the Chairperson entertained a motion to approve passage of Resolution No. 13-2221 . Mr. Tollner made a dual motion for passage and to accept recommendations made by the Executive Director for salary increases for this year which will be incorporated in the budget. Mr. Wilson seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there was any discussion. There being no discussion, the Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Tollner made a motion to grant the recommendation regarding the Section 8 participant and move forward with all due haste. Also with that motion requesting from the City of Nashua an update by close of business on Tuesday for its report. NHA is to move forward consistent with the policies and procedures using all remedies available. Mr. Deschenes seconded the motion. The Chairperson asked if there was any discussion. There being no discussion, the Recording Secretary called the roll with the following responses: AYES NAYS Eric Wilson Paul Deschenes James Tollner Selma Pastor Thomas Monahan Motion carried unanimously. BILLS/INVESTMENTS: The Chairperson called for a motion to pay the bills as listed on the Cash Disbursement List - check numbers 50991 through 51118 and from the Supplemental Cash Disbursement List – check numbers 51119 through 51149 and from the Park View Apartments Cash Disbursement List – check numbers 4666 through 4672 and to approve the Investments as listed. Mr. Wilson made the motion to pay the bills and leave investments in place and Mr. Deschenes seconded. Ms. Censabella answered questions asked by the board. The Chairperson asked if there was any discussion. There being none, the motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS: None. ANY OTHER BUSINESS WHICH MAY COME BEFORE THE BOARD: None. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Tollner made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Deschenes seconded the motion. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:37 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sheila A. Galligan Recording Secretary  MINUTES OF THE NONPUBLIC SESSION HELD DURING THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COMISSIONERS ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 Attendees: Commissioners Thomas Monahan, Selma Pastor, James Tollner, Paul Deschenes, Eric Wilson, Lynn Censabella, Executive Director, and Scott Costa, Assistant Executive Director Board of Commissioners discussed approving Resolution No. 13-2221. Board discussed employee salary recommendations made by the Executive Director for inclusion in the Authority’s fiscal year 2014 Public Housing Operating Budget. Board of Commissioners discussed Confidential Memorandum dated September 13, 2013 from Ms. Censabella regarding Section 8 participant. Ms. Censabella explained the life and safety issues in depth with the Board members. The Board requested NHA take immediate action to address the matter, using all measures available to the Authority. There were no votes taken and no motions made in Nonpublic Session. Respectfully submitted, Lynn M. Censabella Executive Director