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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMansfield Housing authority 06/11/2018Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Mansfield Housing Authority held at 22 Bicentennial Court on Monday, June 11, 2018 at 7:00 PM The Members of the Mansfield Housing Authority met in Regular Session at 22 Bicentennial Court, Mansfield, MA at 7:00 PM. The Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairman Kevin DoyIQ and u$n roll call, those present and absent were as follows: co Present: Absent: Kevin Doyle — «' Debra Tatum Elizabeth Dye n; D Mary Kate Flynn r- Olivier Kozlowski � N Also present was Executive Director, Michael Forbes, State Representative, Jay Barrows, Assistant Executive Director, Andrea McDougall, Tenant Association President, Sandra Martinelli, Tenant Association Treasurer, Thomasina Turner and several tenants. A copy of the Notice of Meeting, pursuant to Section 23A of Chapter 39 of the General Laws, with the Certificate as to Service of Notice of Meeting attached thereto was read and ordered spread upon the Minutes of the Meeting and filed for record. NOTICE OF MEETING Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 23A of Chapter 39 of the General Laws that a Meeting of the Mansfield Housing Authority will be held at 7:00 PM on June 11, 2018 at 22 Bicentennial Court, Mansfield, MA 02048. CERTIFICATE AS TO NOTICE OF MEETING (Section 23A, Chapter 39, General Laws) I, the undersigned, the duly appointed qualified Executive Director of the Mansfield Housing Authority do hereby certify that on June 6, 2018, 1 caused to be filed, in the manner provided by Section 23A, Chapter 39, General Laws, with the Clerk of the Town of Mansfield, Massachusetts, a Notice of Meeting of which the foregoing is a true and correct copy. IN TESTIMONY HEREOF, I have set my hand this 20'" day of June, 2018. j Michael Forbes, Executive Director & Acting Secretary -{ The Board and attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance. State representative Jay Barrows presented Michael Forbes with a Proclamation from the State's House of Representatives for his many years of service to the Mansfield Housing Authority. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item #1 Reorstanization of the Board. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to table the reorganization of the Board to the next Board Meeting when there is a full Board is present. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to approve Warrant #361 for the Month of May 2018 in the amount of $172,913.42. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. A Motion was made by Mr. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to approve the Minutes of the May 2, 2018 Mansfield Housing Authority Executive Director Search Committee Meeting as presented. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 3-0-1 with Mr. Kozlowski abstaining. A Motion was made by Ms. Tatum and seconded by Ms. Flynn to approve the Minutes of the Executive Session of the May 2, 2018 Mansfield Housing Authority Executive Director Search Committee Meeting as presented. 2 Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 3-0-1 with Mr. Kozlowski abstaining. A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Tatum to approve the Minutes of the May 7, 2018 Board Meeting as presented. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. A Motion was made by Ms. Tatum and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to approve the Minutes of the May 16, 2018 Special Board Meeting as presented. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to accept the Balance Sheets and Financial Reports as of as April 30, 2018 as prepared by the Fee Accountant. Mr. Forbes stated that the 400-1 account maintenance line items are collectively over budget by 9.17% due to snow removal labor, fire alarm inspections and annual unit inspections. Mr. Forbes stated that, as the fiscal year progresses, if there are no major maintenance expenditures, the line items will hopefully be within budget by the Authority's fiscal year end. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. Ms. McDougall sent a memo to the Board proposing to eliminate the Assistant Executive Director position and add a Housing Administrator position. Ms. McDougall stated within the memo that the Assistant Executive Director position was created to administer the Federal and State programs, assist the Executive 3 Director, oversee staff, and manage the office during Mr. Forbes's time managing the Plainville Housing authority but with the elimination of the Plainville Housing Authority's management agreement, it would allow her to be in the office full-time without requiring anyone to act on her behalf. Ms. McDougall advised that the proposed change will move many of the current duties of the Assistant Executive Director to program administration which would fall more in line with the proposed Housing Administrator job description. Ms. McDougall proposed to have the budgeted salary of $48,300.00 for the Assistant Executive Director remain the same for the proposed Housing Administrator position so that she will be able to attract qualified candidates for the proposed position. Ms. McDougall stated that she did not require health insurance; therefore, the Authority was able to budget more for the position than they would have been able to if she were enrolled in one of the health insurance plans through the Housing Authority. Ms. McDougall stated that a reduction in the salary for the position may be necessary should the person she hire require health insurance. After a brief discussion, a Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to eliminate the Assistant Executive Director position and approve the proposed Housing Administrator position & job description. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0 and the Housing Administrator Job Description was approved as follows: Housing Administrator The incumbent in this position must be flexible, innovative, and accomplished in the overall management of State Public Housing & Federal Section 8 Programs. The incumbent will report directly the Executive Director and be required to guide staff in the absence of the Executive Director and to familiarize staff with the procedure of tenant selection including the application process, rent and eligibility regulations and computations along with maintenance of appropriate files. The incumbent will be responsible for the submittal of any and all reports required by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) throughout the year. Incumbent will be responsible to ensure the completion of annual & interim re -certifications of public housing tenants, update applicant information on the waiting list, responsible for the overall management of the Leased Housing Programs, consult with the Executive Director, reply to inquiries concerning tenant selection, determine eligibility or non -eligibility of extensions for Voucher holders and maintain status reports as required by the Fee Accountant, DHCD and HUD. The incumbent will be required to perform all duties relevant to the renewal of contracts, the calculation of rents, payments made to landlords and other authorities on behalf of program participants. The Housing Administrator is responsible for the overall management of the entire Section 8, MRVP, and 2 AHVP programs and maintain and update the Administrative Plan for the Section 8 Programs and the submittal of any and all reports required by DHCD and HUD throughout the year. The incumbent must acquaint himself/herself with related Federal & State regulations and may be called upon to propose new methods, policies and Procedures for improving Housing Programs. The incumbent provides information on social services to program participants including the briefing of tenants and on tenant -landlord relationships. In addition, the incumbent is responsible to explain program requirements with prospective landlords and tenants on the criteria of unit eligibility. The incumbent is also responsible for the scheduling of Inspections of Public Housing units and all Housing Choice Voucher Program HQS Inspections, tracking repairs, and ensuring that all inspections are completed in a timely manner and according to the guidelines established by DHCD and HUD. A Certified Inspector under contract with the PHA will inspect all units prior to lease -up and at least biennially thereafter. The incumbent will monitor the Inspector's performance by conducting random inspections throughout the year, of at least 5% of the leased units under contract. The Incumbent operates under the general supervision of the Executive Director exercising a great deal of independence of judgment and decision making but deferring any highly technical or complex legal matters to the Executive Director. Regulations are available and must be followed. Frequent consultation occurs between the incumbent and the Executive Director, especially in the installation of new procedures. On an as needed basis, the incumbent will be expected to delegate routine Programmatic procedures to staff. The incumbent will be expected to make initial reviews of assignments given to the Housing Inspector with respect to Rent Reasonable Survey and Utility Allowance Surveys and report progress to the Executive Director. The Housing Administrator is responsible for the administration of the Federally Subsidized Section 8 program, the State MRVP, the State AHVP Program and oversees the administration of the State Public Housing Programs. In the absence of the Executive Director the Housing Administrator is responsible for the Office Staff, for dealing with any emergencies that might arise and will keep the Executive Director apprised of any such situations. The Housing Administrator shall also perform any other duties as assigned by the Executive Director. The Board was presented with a proposed Organizational Chart that removed the Assistant Executive Director position, updated the Executive Director's name and added the new Housing Administrator position. A Motion was made by Ms. Tatum and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to approve the Mansfield Housing Authority Organizational Chart as presented, effective July 21, 2018. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. Mr. Forbes advised the Board that the Plainville Housing Authority (PHA) Management Agreement is scheduled to terminate as of July 31, 2018. Mr. Forbes stated that the PHA had hired him as their new part-time Executive Director as of September 1, 2018. Mr. Forbes advised the Board that, on May 17, 2018, the PHA Board Voted to approve a one -month extension of the Management Agreement with the Mansfield Housing Authority to August 31, 2018 pending approval of the Mansfield Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Mr. Forbes stated that he had discussed the matter with Andrea McDougall and she had indicated that she will be able to manage the Plainville Housing Authority for the one -month period as she is familiar with their operations. A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Tatum to approve the extension of the Mansfield/Plainville Management Agreement by one -month to August 31, 2018, Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. The Chairman referred to Araenda Item #J1 Executive Director's Report. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to accept the Executive Director's Report dated June 6, 2018. Mr. Forbes noted in his report that there was an incident that occurred recently at 15 Park Street where a hanging plant fell from the third floor and landed on the walkway below, reportedly just missing a tenant walking by. Chairman Doyle asked for Mr. Forbes to further explain the situation. Mr. Forbes stated that, because of the plant falling incident, due to the liability concerns and danger to the tenants, he and Andrea McDougall decided to have the tenants remove all items that were attached to the building or railings. Mr. Forbes stated that he and Andrea personally called all tenants that had plants or other items hanging and explained the circumstance and that the items must be removed as we can no longer allow items to be hung off of the building or railings. Mr. Forbes stated that tenants were encouraged to place their hanging flower baskets on tables outside their apartments. Mr. Forbes stated that all of the tenants contacted stated that they understood, although some were not entirely happy, but they understood and thanked us for calling them. There were no further questions or comments from the Board on the Executive Director's report. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4 to 0. Mr. Forbes explained that the bidding process was complete and that the bids came in lower than the architect's estimate, which enables the Housing Authority to also accept alternate #1 which is to re -shingle the garage roof at 45 Brook Street. Mr. Forbes advised the Board that the Housing Authority's RCAT representative had completed reference checks for the low bidder, S. 1. Services, Inc., and are recommending that the Housing Authority award the contract to them. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to award the Contract for the 74/76 Pineneedle Lane & 45 Brook Street Roofing Project #167076 to S. I. Services, Inc., the lowest eligible and responsible bidder, in the amount of $28,800.00 which includes base bid and alternate #1 and to authorize Executive Director Michael Forbes to execute a contract with S I. Services, Inc. in the amount of $28,800.00 pending DHCD Approval. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4 to 0. Mr. Forbes stated that the Board does not typically hold regular Board Meeting for the Months of July & August, only holding Special Meetings if required. Chairman Doyle suggested that a July 9, 2018 Board Meeting be tentatively scheduled and if there is no urgent business for the Board to attend to, the Meeting could be canceled. Mr. Doyle explained that a Special Meeting could be scheduled at any time if there is urgent business for the Board to attend to. 7 A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Flynn to tentatively schedule a July 9, 2018 Board Meeting, which can be canceled if there is no urgent business, and not to hold a Regular Board Meeting for the Month of August 2018. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4 to 0. Mr. Forbes advised the Board in a memo that it had come to his attention that the new DHCD Regulations state that the recognition of an LTO (Local Tenant Organization) by an LHA (Local Housing Authority) shall automatically expire five years from the date of the written decision of the LHA that informed the Association of its recognition as LTO. Mr. Forbes advised that the Mansfield Housing Tenants Association was formally recognized by the Mansfield Housing Authority sometime back in 1999. Mr. Forbes stated that the Mansfield Housing Tenants Association is in compliance with Regulations and there is no other recognized LTO representing the tenants or seeking to and recommended that the Board Vote to formally recognize the Mansfield Housing Tenants Association as an Official LTO to represent the tenants at Cedar Court, Bicentennial Court and Park Court for a five-year term. A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Tatum to formally recognize the Mansfield Housing Tenants Association as an Official LTO to represent the tenants at Cedar Court, Bicentennial Court and Park Court for a five- year term ending on June 11, 2023 in accordance with CMR 760 6.09 Regulations on Tenant Participation. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4 to 0. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item #15 Correspondences. The Chairman acknowledged a copy of a letter from Groundskeeper/Custodian, Kevin Gracia announcing his July 20, 2018 retirement from the Mansfield Housing Authority and a copy of the Mansfield Housing Authority FYE 9/30/17 Agreed Upon Procedures Audit (AUP) report from Gary DePace CPA, PC. The Chairman asked Mr. Forbes to explain the audit report. Mr. Forbes explained that there were two "exceptions" noted within the Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP) Audit Report which were: 11 „,,,, .!, rcrxnouect1on — Se re ation of Duties: The Firm notes that internaI controls over 'rent-----`--- can be strengthened. Currently, a single employee in recording receipts into the accounting system, making out the deposit slips, and going to the bank, as well as taking part in some of the rent collections and bank reconciliations. The Director reviews tenant balances, but there is not a paper trail to show this. The Firm recommends that the Director initial the tenant reports that he reviews in order to document his role in the Authority's internal controls and that the Authority continue training its new employees to take over some of the steps of the rent collection process. Mr. Forbes stated that, going forward, either he or new Executive Director, Andrea McDougall, will initial tenant reports to document their role in the Authority's internal controls. Mr. Forbes also stated that, in addition, the new Receptionist/Public Housing Coordinators are being trained to take over some of the steps of the rent collection process as the long time Receptionist/Public Housing Coordinator vacated her position early within the audit period as some of these duties were always assigned to her. Exception #2 Waae Reconciliation: The Firm notes that the Authority's Top 5 Compensation Form does not match exactly the amounts reported on the reconciled tax forms because one employee's gross compensation was understated by $270 on the Top 5 Form and recommended that the Authority confirm gross wages of each of the top 5 compensated employees each year before submitting the Top 5 Compensation Form. Mr. Forbes stated that the top 5 compensation form was completed by the Fee Accountant and the error wasn't noticed prior to submission to DHCD. Mr. Forbes stated that either he or new Executive Director, Andrea McDougall will review payroll reports to verify the accuracy of the figures entered by the Fee Accountant prior to submission of the Top 5 Compensation Form to DHCD. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to approve the Certificate of Substantial Completion for the Door & Window Replacement Project #167065. Mr. Forbes stated that the project is substantially complete and the Architect has instat d that there ected the � s still a punch lisrk and had t itemunch with Iist to the contractor. the door latches & str kes that need . Forbes on June 11t” to to be addressed and the door company representative is scheduled to come out conduct a sample repair for the architect's approval. Mr. Kozlowski expressed concern with there being enough money withheld from the contractor to complete the project if the contractor does not address the 0 issue and resolve the problem. Mr, Forbes stated that he believes that the 5% being withheld is enough money to finish the project but stated that the Board is not obligated to Approve the Certificate of Substantial Completion if there are concerns. After a brief discussion, upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4 to 0. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item #17 Questions and Comments. Chairman Doyle stated that he was thrilled with the turnout of the tenants, friends and former Mansfield Housing Authority Board Members at the June 6th Selectmen's Meeting where Mr. Forbes received Proclamations from State Senator, Paul Feeney and the Board of Selectmen. Park Court resident, Margret O'Loughlin stated that she was very annoyed as none of the Park Court residents were informed that Mr. Forbes would be recognized at the Selectmen's Meeting. Mr. Forbes stated that he had spoken with Tenant Association President, Sandra Martinelli about the Associations need to notify all of the tenants of their Meetings and activities. Chairman Doyle stated that a cookout is being planned for July 18th from 12:00 to 4:00 PM at 22 Bicentennial Court to say goodbye to Mr. Forbes and he will be sure that all of the tenants are properly notified. Ms. O'Loughlin expressed concern with the new Executive Director being away managing the Plainville Housing Authority for the Month of August, Mr. Forbes stated that Ms. McDougall would only be required to be at the Plainville office for seven hours a week and it will only be for one month. Bicentennial Court resident Joyce Campbell stated that she sees that the Board has an Executive Session scheduled on the Agenda for contract negotiations with new Executive Director, Andrea McDougall. Ms. Campbell stated that she hopes that the Board pays Ms. McDougall, who is a woman, a comparable salary to the previous Executive Director who was a man. Chairman Doyle stated that the Board does not discriminate, and the Board hired Ms. McDougall because of her qualifications not her gender. Ms. Forbes provided the Board with a copy of a May 31, 2018 letter from DHCD advising of the FY2021 Formula Funding Award. Mr. Forbes recognized Maintenance Groundskeeper/Custodian, Kevin Gracia who will be retiring from the Housing Authority on July 201h. Mr. Forbes stated that Mr. Gracia worked hard for the Authority, always trying his best and even worked alone in the maintenance department for approximately a year after the passing of former Maintenance Supervisor, Daniel Donovan, when another maintenance worker went out on extended sick leave. 10 The Chairman stated that an Executive Session is listed on the Agenda to negotiate a contract with Nonunion Employee, Andrea McDougall and asked Ms. McDougall if she would like to hold the negotiation in Open Session or Executive Session. Ms. McDougall stated that she would like the negotiations to take place in Executive Session. A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Flynn to enter into Executive Session to conduct contract Negotiations with Nonunion Employee, Andrea McDougall. Upon Roll Call Vote, the Ayes and Nays were as follows: A es: Kevin Doyle NU—S.- Debra Tatum Mary Kate Flynn Olivier Kozlowski The Chairman declared the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. The Chairman announced that the Board will be entering into Executive Session at 7:49 PM to conduct contract negotiations with Nonunion Employee, Andrea McDougall and stated that the Board will return to Open Session only to Vote on the negotiated Contract with new Executive Director, Andrea McDougall, The Board entered Executive Session at 7:49 PM. The Board returned to Open Session at 8:10 PM. The Chairman announced that a one-year Contract had been agreed upon with Andrea McDougall for the Mansfield Housing Authority Executive Director's Position. A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and Seconded by Ms. Flynn to approve a one-year Executive Director Contract with Andrea McDougall at a salary of $90,365.00 with 150 hours of vacation leave for each year of continuous employment (earned at 12.5 hours per month) and a $50.00 per month Cell Phone Stipend. Upon Roll Call Vote, the Ayes and Nays were as follows: A es: Kevin Doyle Nays: 11 Debra Tatum Mary Kate Flynn Olivier Kozlowski The Chairman declared the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0. There being no further business to come before the Board, a Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Flynn to Adjourn at 8:11 PM - Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4 to 0. - Board of Commissioners: 12