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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMansfield Housing Authority 09/04/2019PECEIV Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the MkanafteRS OFFICE Housing Authority held at 22 Bicentennial �7:00 P�j� OP P 12: 28 Wednesday, September 4, 21 at V NA HISFIEL0 The Members of the Mansfield Housing Authority met in Regular $J6dk* ETTS Bicentennial Court, Mansfield, MA at 7:00 PM. The Meeting was called to order by Chairman Kevin Doyle at 7:00 PM and upon roll call, those present and absent were as follows: Present: Absent: Kevin Doyle Debra Tatum Mary Kate Flynn Elizabeth Dye Olivier Kozlowski Also present was Executive Director, Andrea McDougall, and several Residents. 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 September 4, 2019 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 August 28, 2019, 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 18th day of September 2019. The Board and attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item #1, Reorganization of the Board. Mr. Doyle asked for nominations for the position of Chairman. Elizabeth Dye nominated Kevin Doyle for the position of Chairman; Mary Kate Flynn seconded the nomination. Olivier Kozlowski nominated Debra Tatum for the position of Chairman; there was no second on the nomination. There were no other nominations for Chairman, Mr. Doyle accepted the nomination and it was Voted to elect Kevin Doyle to the position of Chairman by a Vote of 4 to 1 with Mr. Kozlowski opposed. Chairman Doyle asked for nominations for the position of Vice Chairman. Kevin Doyle nominated Debra Tatum for the position of Vice Chairperson; Elizabeth Dye seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations for Vice Chairperson, Ms. Tatum accepted the nomination and it was unanimously Voted to elect Debra Tatum to the position of Vice Chairperson. The Chairman asked for nominations for Treasurer. Elizabeth Dye nominated Olivier Kozlowski for the position of Treasurer; Mary Kate Flynn seconded the nomination. Kevin Flynn nominated Mary Kate Flynn for the position of Treasurer; Debra Tatum seconded the nomination There were no other nominations for Treasurer, Mr. Kozlowski accepted the nomination and it was Voted 3-2 to elect Olivier Kozlowski to the position of Treasurer. The Chairman asked for nominations for Assistant Treasurer. Debra Tatum nominated Mary Kate Flynn for the position of Assistant Treasurer; Elizabeth Dye seconded the nomination. 2 There were no other nominations for Assistant Treasurer, Ms. Flynn accepted the nomination and it was unanimously Voted to elect Mary Kate Flynn to the position of Assistant Treasurer. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to approve Warrant #374 for the Month of June 2019 in the amount of $148,088.95. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Dye to approve Warrant #374 for the Month of July 2019 in the amount of $177,033.21. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Ms. Flynn to approve Warrant #376 for the Month of August 2019 in the amount of $247,110.68. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Tatum and seconded by Ms. Dye to approve the Minutes of the June 5, 2019 Board Meeting as presented. Ms. Flynn stated that she was not in attendance at the Meeting and was abstaining from voting on the Minutes. E - Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 4-0-1 with Ms. Flynn abstaining. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to approve the Minutes of the August 7, 2017 Special Board Meeting as presented. Ms. Dye and Mr. Doyle noted that they were not in attendance at the Meeting and both would be abstaining from Voting on the Minutes. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 3-0-2 with Mr. Doyle and Ms. Dye abstaining. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item W, Executive Director's Report. A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to accept the Executive Director's Report dated August 30, 2019. Mr. Kozlowski asked why there was a delay in processing State wait list Applicants. Ms. McDougall stated that applicants are added to the Mansfield Housing wait list in large numbers everyday and the Housing Authority must obtain documentation to verify the applicants at the top of list. 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 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to accept the Balance Sheets and Quarterly Financial Reports as of as June 30, 2019 as prepared by the Fee Accountant. Ms. McDougall reviewed Balance Sheets and Financial Report with the Board. 4 t Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Ms. Flynn to accept the Balance Sheets and Financial Reports as of as July 31, 2019 as prepared by the Fee Accountant. Ms. McDougall reviewed Balance Sheets and Financial Report with the Board. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. Ms. McDougall stated that the overall results of the survey ranked the Mansfield Housing Authority higher than the state and regional results in most categories. Areas of housekeeping where the Housing Authority ranked as average or below have been addressed with the Maintenance Department. Ms. Dye commented that she was surprised at the number of residents that would like to see the Housing Authority provide services or programs that pertain to health or medical services. A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Dye to approve the submission of an application for the HUD Mainstream Voucher Program. Ms. McDougall stated that HUD had issued a Notice for funding that has been made available for the Mainstream Vouchers. The Mainstream program targets non -elderly disabled applicants on the section 8 wait list. Ms. McDougall stated that there was a significant need in Mansfield for this type of help. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. W7 A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Tatum to approve to add the Massachusetts AHVP Program. Ms. McDougall stated that the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) is funded through the state of Massachusetts. The State was made aware of the need for funding in Mansfield for the non -elderly disabled housing assistance and if the Board approves the State will provide the Housing Authority with 10-15 vouchers to be issued in first quarter of 2020. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to approve the Updated Policy for Use of the Community Room. Ms. McDougall stated that very minor modification had been made to the existing policy but that it was being brought in front of the Board to make it current. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0 and the Policy was approved as follows: POLICIES — USE OF COMMUNITY ROOMS BOARD APPROVAL — 09/04/2019 It shall be the Policy of the Mansfield Housing Authority that the use of the Authority's community rooms are restricted to events that would be for the general benefit of the tenants and would not exclude the participation of any tenant. 1. Private parties with limited guest lists that exclude the majority of the tenants are prohibited with the exception of use by the management of the Authority for business purposes only. 2. The Board of Commissioners, as prescribed by the regulations of the Department of Housing & Community Development, shall in all instances, control the use of the community rooms in all complexes managed by the Mansfield Housing Authority. 3. The Board of Commissioners reserve the right to withhold permission from any person(s) that, while using the facility in the past, has failed to abide by the policies as contained herein. 4. The availability of parking spaces shall be a consideration in all decisions that are reached. 5. Any person wishing to use a community room shall, by signing the written request, agree to the stipulations hereby recorded as the Community Room Policies. 6. It shall be the policy of the Mansfield Housing Authority, to require all person(s) to make a formal request in writing, to the Executive Director stating the date of the request, the date, time and type of function to take place, the approximate number of persons who will attend and which community room is requested. The Executive Director is authorized to act on behalf of the Board to make a decision to either authorize or refuse to authorize the request. 7. The Authority shall, inform any recognized tenant's association in the event that there is a need for management to make use of the facilities. 8. Priority will be granted to the Authority whenever necessary, should it need to utilize community space in order to conduct daily business that is required to run an efficient organization. Example; (whenever extra staff is required and when State Auditors or other government officials require space in which to conduct business.) 9. The Authority shall endeavor to make alternative arrangements, whenever possible, provided that the arrangements do not interfere with the daily management of the agency. The Authority shall also make such accommodations temporary to the extent possible, for example, portable dividers that can be removed. 10. Where there are events scheduled by the tenants that occur on a regular basis, the Authority shall always attempt to schedule all business activities to avoid interference with the tenant's use and enjoyment of the community room to the extent possible. 11. No alcoholic beverages shall be served or consumed at any function held in any of the community rooms. 12. No smoking is allowed in the community rooms or interior public areas. 13. The community rooms must be left in the condition in which they were found. 14. Clean up is the responsibility of the person(s) who requested the hall. 15. No hall shall be overcrowded to the extent that it would be against the fire codes. 16. All chairs shall be returned to proper position in the manner and location in which they were found. 17. Kitchen and rest room facilities shall also be cleaned prior to the departure of the person(s) requesting the use of the facilities. 18. The person(s) requesting the hall shall be responsible to ensure that all of the tenants abide by all rules as stated in the policy and contained in the formal written request. 19. The person(s) requesting the hall shall also be responsible to ensure that the rights of all tenants to enjoy their accommodations in peace and quiet and their safety shall not be jeopardized by the requested event. 20. The person(s) who requested the use of the hall shall be responsible to ensure that all person(s) in attendance abide by all rules as stated above. Said person(s) is also responsible for assuring that parking for the event does not interfere with other tenant's assigned parking spaces. Community Room Request Form Name -(Please Telephone Number: Community Room Requested: Reservation Date: Time: Type of Function: Number of Persons Expected to Attend the Function: Any person making a request to use the community room at Bicentennial Court, Park Court or Cedar Court by signing where indicated below, certifies that he or she has read and fully understands the Community Room Policies as contained on pages 1 & 2 and agrees to adhere to the Hiles and regulations as set forth by the Board of Commissioners of the Authority. Date: Request Approved Executive Director:_ Date: Request Denied ( ) A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Ms. Flynn to approve to award the contract and issue the notice to proceed to the lowest eligible and responsible bidder, contingent on both the architect reference checks and RCAT review for the roofing project FISH #167081 for 253 West Street. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. H A Motion was made by Mr. Kozlowski and seconded by Ms. Dye to approve to award the contract and issue the notice to proceed to the lowest eligible and responsible bidder, contingent on both the architect reference checks and RCAT review for the roofing project FISH #167082 for 41 Dean Street. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Ms. Flynn to approve to write off Tenant Account Receivable Balances totaling $498.00. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. A Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Ms. Flynn to approve the 2019 Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) to be used as the Section 8 Payment Standard effective 10/1 /2019. Ms. McDougall explained that HUD's Fair Market Rents for the Taunton - Mansfield -Norton, MA Metro area are considerably lower than their neighboring towns. The lower payment standard makes it difficult for Housing Choice Voucher Participants to lease up in the Mansfield area. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. 0 A Motion was made by Ms. Flynn and seconded by Ms. Dye to approve the Updated Section 8 Administrative Plan. Ms. McDougall stated that this agenda item had been tabled from the July 24, 2019 agenda. The Section 8 Administrative Plan was being updated to reflect the section 8 wait list administrative change from Mass NAHRO to GoSectio8.com. Additional changes include the Mansfield Housing Authority offering preference to Local Veterans and preference to residents of neighboring towns that do not currently offer the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Towns included are: Norton 02766, Raynham 02767, West Bridgewater 02379, Sharon 02067, Norfolk 02056, Wrentham 02093, Plainville 02762, Avon 02322, Randolph 02368, and Canton 02021. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item #19. Correspondences. The Chairman read off the list of correspondences, which were as follows: Thank you cards and emails from the Residents of Bicentennial Court and Park Court, expressing gratitude for the new stoves. Letters from the Mansfield Board of Health regarding a unit at Bicentennial Court. The Chairman referred to Agenda Item #20, Questions & Comments. Ms. McDougall stated that she had been contacted by a representative from Habitat for Humanity. The caller questioned vacant lots owned by the Housing Authority on Eddy Street, Mansfield. Ms. McDougall found the questioned properties on the Mansfield Assessor's Database and wanted to bring it to the Boards attention. Mr. Doyle wanted to investigate if the zoning laws would permit building on the lots. Mr. Kozlowski stated that he would look into the details of the land and report back to the Board at a future meeting. There being no further business to come before the Board, a Motion was made by Ms. Dye and seconded by Mr. Kozlowski to Adjourn at 7:53 PM. Upon Vote, the Motion passed by a Vote of 5 to 0. 10 of Commissioners: 11