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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHousing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes 11-17-2011APPROVED MINUTES PLYMOUTH HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY November 17, 2011 PRESENT: Chairman Jeff Kulaszewicz, Commissioners Paul Caryotakis and Bob Stein ABSENT: Commissioners David Miller and Jim Willis STAFF PRESENT: Housing Program Manager Jim Barnes, Support Services Manager Denise Whalen and Office Support Specialist Laurie Lokken OTHERS PRESENT: None 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Kulaszewicz called the Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve HRA Meeting Minutes from October 27, 2011. B. Plymouth Towne Square. Accept October 2011 housing report. C. Vicksburg Crossing. Accept October 2011 housing report. MOTION by Commissioner Caryotakis, seconded by Commissioner Stein, to approve the consent agenda. Vote. 3 Ayes. MOTION approved. 3. PUBLIC HEARING A. Section 8 Program. Proposed Changes To The Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan. Commissioner Stein stated that he assumed the number assigned to an applicant on the waiting list was given when the application was received. He said it stated that distribution is looked at so that certain classes of people are represented and asked how that worked. Support Services Manager Whalen responded that we have to serve a certain percentage of very low income, which the majority of our applicants on the waiting list are. She said that many years ago, the Board was adamant that they wanted the waiting list to include a preference for living in Plymouth. She said that we couldn't do that and we had to take it out because of fair housing. She said that in her research to redraft this document, most of the metropolitan housing authorities have what they call community roots, which is living or working in the city or attending school. She said that we have the Minnesota School of Business but we don't really have any other big colleges or technical schools. She said we changed it to state community roots, meaning living or working in Plymouth. Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority November 17, 2011 Page 2 Commissioner Caryotakis stated that they get points for certain things. Support Services Manager Whalen said replied affirmatively. She said the last time we opened up the waiting list, we put out a certain criteria of our preferences. She said they had to be paying more than 50 percent of their income or they had to be living in a shelter or transitional housing. She said they had to basically have one of those preferences in order to apply and be income eligible. She said we took the first 300 that met that criteria and put thein on the waiting list. She said that once they are on the waiting list, then we follow the preferences. She said those that are paying more than 50 percent of their income and those living in a shelter or transitional housing all have the same amount of points. She said given "A" and `B", if they have the same amount of points and if they also live or work in Plymouth, they are going to get bumped up higher. She said that is basically how we have set up the wait list. Commissioner Stein stated that he thought it alluded to handicap or some other classification and we added a certain percentage balance of that. Support Services Manager Whalen responded we do, we have the mainstream vouchers that serve those. She said if one of those turns over, we have to go to our wait list so the first disabled person on the list moves up. Housing Program Manager Barnes added that they might be number 15 on the list but they would be moved to number one. Commissioner Stein asked if we were to give the HRA program over to Hennepin County, would we lose all that. Support Services Manager Whalen replied yes, it would go to Metro Housing Authority and go off their wait list and their preferences. Commissioner Stein asked if we worry about port ins. Support Services Manager Whalen responded that when they bring their voucher here, we administer it and they would also have to follow this Administrative Plan, which may differ from some other housing authorities. She said when they move here, they are under our jurisdiction and our plan. Commissioner Caryotakis stated that they could maintain that port in as long as they qualify. Support Services Manager Whalen responded affirmatively. Commissioner Stein asked if that would be with whoever issued the voucher. Support Services Manager Whalen responded whoever issued the voucher. She said that if Metro issued the voucher and they moved to Plymouth, they would have to follow our rules, our subsidy standards, everything until they move out of Plymouth. She said that whenever they move out of Plymouth, they are under whoever else's jurisdiction they move to. She said it would be like our voucher but we are just administering it. Commissioner Stein asked if their voucher ported in and they are handicapped and they move out or leave, that doesn't affect us. Support Services Manager Whalen responded negatively. Commissioner Stein stated that we don't control the number of port ins as long as someone is willing to accept that voucher. Support Services Manager Whalen responded affirmatively. Commissioner Stein asked if we inspect those units. Support Services Manager Whalen confirmed affirmatively and stated that right now, we have about 400 that we are administering and so there are 400 rental inspections every year. Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority November 17, 2011 Page 3 Support Services Manager Whalen stated that this is a whole new format this year but we really didn't change the technical things too much. She said that we separated some of what had been in appendixes before into actual chapters. She said that Chapter 9 was a new chapter that HUD has requested that we add to the Plan. Support Services Manager Whalen confirmed for Commissioner Caryotakis that we had very similar things in the previous plan but that they were scattered in different things. She said the General Leasing Policy pulls it all together into one chapter. Commissioner Caryotakis asked if income and subsidy determination in Chapter 7 was significantly changed. Support Services Manager Whalen responded negatively. She said that HUD mandates that we use the earned income verification system. She said that there are certain systems that we are required to use to verify income; such as, social security and earned income verification. She said we didn't have that in our old Administrative Plan so we just adopted that into this Plan because we have been using those systems. Commissioner Caryotakis asked if this is the same way we verify income for Plymouth Towne Square. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded negatively. He said that Section 8 only has access to earned income verification system. He said that if they claim social security as their only income, we request the award letter. He said PTS does use the Section 8 income determination guidelines to determine income for PTS residents. Support Services Manager Whalen added that for social security, we go through the system and it automatically prints out everybody that is coming up for recertification that's on social security and it gives us their benefit amount, Medicare, etc. She confirmed for Commissioner Caryotakis that it covers a lot of them. She said that we have quite a few on fixed incomes like that. She said the only problem with the earned income verification is that it's two quarters behind so if somebody's working, it takes awhile for us to catch up with that. Support Services Manager Whalen stated that as required, we published the legal notice 45 days ahead. She said that we had to send out the Administrative Plan to the members of the Resident Advisory Board and we did get one comment back that she read and agreed with the Plan. Commissioner Stein asked if this has to get approved by HUD. Support Services Manager Whalen responded that yes, once the Board approves it, then we submit it to HUD. She said that they actually don't ever formally state that it is approved, we just have to send it to them so that it is on file with them in case they get questions from some of our clients that they are not happy with what we tell them. Support Services Manager Whalen stated that we also have to file the Civil Rights Certification form with HUD. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked about Chapter 18, the Special Housing Choice Voucher Programs. Support Services Manager Whalen replied that Chapter 15 is Special Housing Types and in talking to the HUD representative, we got into a lot of communication on shared housing through Stone Creek Apartments. She said that when some other companies were in there, they would Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority November 17, 2011 Page 4 lease the unit and then they would bring their clients in. She said that they were trying to get vouchers through us and it just didn't work. She said that because we had shared housing in our Administrative Plan, we were supposed to try and offer it and make it work. She said that we decided that we are not going to offer that, we are not going to have it in our Administrative Plan so we don't have those problems come up again. She said that the HUD representative confirmed that we did not need to have it in there as it is not required. She said the only time that it may be required is if somebody is disabled and they want you to provide a special type of housing for them. She said that Chapter 18, Special Housing Choice Voucher Programs, is a new section. She said that it came out a long time ago on a PIH notice that was never included. She said our mainstream vouchers have now switched to be called NonElderly Disabled for families (NED vouchers). She said we had to put those in here. She said other special housing choice vouchers are enhanced vouchers, the Willow Creek clients, so we have to say we administer those here in Plymouth, too. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked that this had nothing to do with what kind of house it is. Support Services Manager responded that it is all the same housing, it's just a different type of voucher. She said we have to track them differently and we get a different budget for some of our mainstream vouchers. She said our enhanced vouchers are right in with our normal allocation but we just have to track them differently monthly to HUD as to how much we expend on these types of vouchers. Commissioner Stein asked for clarification that a family unit could consist of unmarried individuals living together. Support Services Manager responded affirmatively. Chairman Kulaszewicz opened and closed the public hearing as there was no one present to speak on the item. MOTION by Commissioner Stein, seconded by Commissioner Caryotakis, to approve the proposed changes to the Administrative Plan and submission of the 50077 CR to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2012. Vote. 3 Ayes. MOTION approved. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Vicksburg Crossing. Marketing Report for October 2011. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that we are maintaining a steady occupancy. He said that there are two available units and we do have two deposits for December and January. He said we would then be back to full occupancy. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that he received a request from Grace Management requesting that we combine the monthly report and the Vicksburg Crossing marketing report. He said that this second marketing report was designed and set up under New Business when we were struggling with leasing Vicksburg Crossing. He said a lot of what is included in the Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority November 17, 2011 Page 5 marketing report is also discussed in the monthly report. He received verbal confirmation from all Board members present in agreement to consolidate both reports. Chairman Kulaszewicz stated that not too long ago, we discussed whether we needed to cut back on any of the marketing money. He said that he didn't know that we need to readdress that as it seems that what we are doing is working and keeping us near full occupancy. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that currently, we are finding that rotating monthly between the Sun Sailor and the Lakeshore Weekly are the most effective methods for marketing the property. He said we also offer open houses that are on the weekends and geared towards getting, not only the prospective tenant there, but their adult children there as well. He said that those have been very successful. Commissioner Stein asked if he has gotten any feedback from Plymouth Towne Square tenants on the rent increase. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that he has not heard anything from anyone. Commissioner Stein asked how long ago they had been notified. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that they were notified right after the Board adopted the budget. He said that he did visit Vicksburg Crossing right after the Board adopted the budget and the only question he got from about 20 people attending their monthly meeting was what the percentage increase would be. Housing Program Manager Barnes confirmed for Chairman Kulaszewicz that was across the board. Commissioner Stein stated that he found that interesting. Housing Program Manager Barnes added that some people may not pay attention to it until they attend their recertification or until they receive their notice that their monthly rent is going up. Commissioner Stein asked when the increase goes into effect. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that it goes into effect January 1, 2012 for everybody. 5. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Commissioner Caryotakis, seconded by Commissioner Stein to adjourn the meeting at 7:20 p.m. MOTION approved.