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Meeting Detail
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PUBLIC NOTICE OF A REGULAR HACEP BOARD MEETING - MINUTES |
| Meeting Date |
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01/27/2010 |
| Meeting Location |
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5300 EAST PAISANO, EL PASO, TEXAS |
| Meeting Agenda |
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PUBLIC NOTICE OF A REGULAR BOARD MEETING
TAKE NOTICE THAT A REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS
WILL BE HELD AT
5300 EAST PAISANO, EL PASO, TEXAS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010
COMMENCING AT 5:30 P.M.
TO CONSIDER AND POSSIBLY ACT ON THE FOLLOWING:
1. CALL TO ORDER.
2. INVOCATION/MOMENT OF SILENCE.
3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUORUM.
4. RESIDENT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS TO BE HEARD.
5. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF A SPECIAL BOARD MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE ON DECEMBER 4, 2009.
7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF A REGULAR BOARD MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE ON DECEMBER 18, 2009.
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
ALL MATTERS LISTED UNDER THE CONSENT AGENDA WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED BY ONE MOTION IN THE FORM LISTED BELOW. THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF THESE ITEMS UNLESS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OR PERSONS IN THE AUDIENCE REQUEST SPECIFIC ITEMS BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA TO THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION PRIOR TO THE TIME THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS VOTE ON THE MOTION TO ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA
Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas
January 27, 2010 – page two
CONSENT AGENDA:
8. PURCHASING AND CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARDS:
A. CONTRACT FOR WATER LINE REPLACEMENT AT SHERMAN APARTMENTS. SOLICITATION NO. ARRA 10-B-0008.
Recommendation: Site: Contract Amount:
CSA Engineers & Constructors Sherman Apartments $405,000
B. CONTRACT FOR WATER LINES AND SEWER IMPROVEMENTS AT CRAMER APARTMENTS. SOLICITATION NO. ARRA 10-B-0005.
Recommendation: Site: Contract Amount:
T-Dyne Contractors, Inc. Cramer Apartments $225,000
C. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT NO. WH 09-C-0061 FOR REFRIGERATOR PARTS.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
Interline Brands PHA Wide $3,401.15 one-year
D. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT NO. WH 09-C-0060 FOR REFRIGERATOR PARTS.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
PDQ Supply, Inc. PHA Wide $3,521.05 one-year
E. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT NO. WH 09-C-0049 FOR APPLIANCE PARTS.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
Cunningham Distributing, Inc. PHA Wide $5,973.00 one-year
F. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT O. WH 09-C-0048 FOR APPLIANCE PARTS.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
Interline Brands PHA Wide $21,396.00 one-year
G. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT NO. WH 09-C-0047 FOR APPLIANCE PARTS.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
First Source Servall PHA Wide $31,722.58 one-year
Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas
January 27, 2010 – page three
H. MODIFICATION TO CONTRACT NO. TS 09-C-0002 FOR ALAMITO GARDENS.
Recommendation: Site: Previous: Increase: Aggregate:
Dantex Construction Co. Alamito $13,978,593.01 $37,403.55 $14,015,996.56
Gardens
REGULAR AGENDA
9. DISCUSSION AND ACTION REGARDING RESOLUTION APPROVING AN ACCOUNTING AND BUDGET POLICY FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS.
10. SECRETARY’S REPORT.
A. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
• ARRA UPDATE.
B. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
(1) FINANCIAL SERVICES.
(2) PROCUREMENT.
(3) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
C. CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER.
(1) PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAM.
• LEASE UP.
(2) SECTION 8 PROGRAM.
• LEASE UP.
Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas
January 27, 2010 – page four
(3) DEVELOPMENT & CAPITAL PROJECTS.
• ALAMITO GARDENS.
• ARRA UPDATE.
D. HUMAN RESOURCES.
E. NEWS ARTICLES.
• COMMUNITY EVENTS/MEDIA COVERAGE.
11. THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MAY RETIRE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSIONAT ANY TIME UPON THE MOTION OF ANY COMMISSIONER PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551.071-551.076 TO DISCUSS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
SECTION 551.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY
SECTION 551.072 DELIBERATIONS ABOUT REAL PROPERTY
SECTION 551.073 DELIBERATIONS ABOUT GIFTS AND DONATIONS
SECTION 551.074 PERSONNEL MATTERS
SECTION 551.076 DELIBERATIONS ABOUT SECURITY DEVICES
DISCUSSION ON THE FOLLOWING:
(A) DISCUSSION AND UPDATE BY LEGAL COUNSEL ON PENDING LITIGATION MATTERS. (SECTION 551.071)
12. ADJOURNMENT.
Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas
January 27, 2010 – page five
THIS NOTICE HAS BEEN POSTED AT THE CENTRAL OFFICES OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, 5300 EAST PAISANO DRIVE, AND NOTICE HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO THE EL PASO COUNTY CLERK MORE THAN 72 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE ABOVE MEETING, AS REQUIRED BY CHAPTER 551 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
UPON REQUEST THE HOUSING AUTHORITY WILL PROVIDE AUXILIARY AIDS AND SERVICES SUCH AS INTERPRETERS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED, READERS, LARGE PRINT OR BRAILLE DOCUMENTS. THOSE REQUESTING AUXILIARY AIDS OR SERVICES MAY NOTIFY SERGIO VASQUEZ, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COORDINATOR, AT (915) 849-3820, OR SVASQUEZ@HACEP.ORG AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
SIMULTANEOUS ENGLISH/SPANISH TRANSLATION IS PROVIDED AT ALL REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
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| Meeting Minutes |
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MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY
OF THE CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010
Item # 1. Call to Order. The Chairperson called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.
Item # 2. Invocation/Moment of Silence. Moment of silence.
Item # 3. Establishment of a Quorum.
PRESENT: Chairperson Joe Fernandez, Presiding; Commissioners Sue Pratt, Lynn Coyle, and Kevin Quinn. The Chairperson declared a quorum with four Commissioners present. Commissioner Raul Chavez was absent.
ALSO PRESENT: Gerald Cichon, Chief Executive Officer; Bob Blumenfeld, HACEP Attorney; Michael Spurlock, Corporate Attorney; David Hoicka, Chief Operating Officer; Satish Bhaskar, Chief Financial Officer; Roman Velasquez, Director of Public Housing; Karen McCluskey, Director of CCPA; Shane Griffith, Public Information Officer; Woody Bare, Security Supervisor; Lucia Wiesinger, Resident Relations Specialist; Glo Dore, Finance Executive Secretary; Maria del Rayo Rodriguez and Aracely Saenz, Executive Secretaries.
Item # 4. Resident Association Presidents to be Heard. None.
Item # 5. Citizens to be Heard. Bob Blumenfeld, HACEP Attorney, said that we have a list of ten individuals who signed up. The list includes: Bill Arballo, Lety Montelongo, Rosa Acosta, Jorge Hernandez, Juan Reyes, Mary Beth Dondiego, Oscar Guerrero and David Guzman. There are two signatures whose names he cannot read. He asked if all the individuals wanted to speak or if they had a representative.
Ms. Mary Beth Dondiego responded that Mr. David Guzman would speak on their behalf.
David Guzman, Vice President of AFSCME Local 59, said that they wanted to address some issues that concern the employees’ demotions. The Housing Authority did not call it a demotion. It was called a re-organization within the Housing Authority. Looking at the re-organization within the Housing Authority, demotions were done to employees. A demotion is when you go to another department with different duties. Employees actually have the same duties but their demotions came with their pay. They also went up on the salary step range from the bottom all the way to the top. Therefore, they were demoted on May 8. It took the Housing Authority forty years to look at these employees and determine that they were not qualified to be managers. They were demoted to Assistant Asset Managers but they are doing the same job and they are training the Managers. Mr. Guzman handed some information to the Board. He made reference to a letter dated May 28, 2009 from Mr. Cichon to Local 59. In the letter it is stated that “most of the department’s employees were placed in newly-created positions and did not experience any change in compensation or benefits.” The truth is that most of them lost from $4.07 to $7.40 per hour. These are people that have been working for the Housing Authority for up to forty years. The letter also states that “sincere efforts were undertaken to ensure there was a minimum reduction in pay for these affected employees.” Section 6.7 of your Personnel Policy states that “a change in the management or organizational structure of the Housing Authority shall not be included as part of a reclassification of positions without Board approval.” Mr. Guzman asked the Board if this matter was addressed with the Board. He added that a reclassification of these positions without Board approval is against the adopted Housing Authority policy. The Executive Director should not have made this decision without the Board’s approval. Section 3.6 addresses demotions and states that “a demotion is the assignment of any employee from a position in one class to a position in another class having a lower maximum salary. Demotion can be voluntary or involuntary.” As Commissioners you were selected from the best of the best to run the Housing Authority. We have Commissioners that are union members. The Executive Director was the lawyer for a union. We have an attorney that was awarded the best of the best with the Sarah T. Hughes. Ms. Pratt is very well known within the community with multiple awards. And you all have civil rights movement behind you to see where these people were demoted and affected badly. Local 59 would like for you to reconsider, to look at what happened to these employees. We have brought this issue before the Board and our main concern is that employees are your best asset. There has been a lot of appraisal on your directors. We have been here a couple of times and we always hear that your directors are the best of the best. But who makes them the best? Your employees down at the bottom. They are the ones that make the directors the best. Now, these employees that were demoted have given their lives to the Housing Authority for a long time. They have been through a lot of Commissioners, a lot of Executive Directors, and they have always stayed here. It took the Housing Authority more than twenty-years to realize that the employees were not capable of doing the work, that they were a liability. We don’t see that right. As you can see there are not a lot of employees present because they are afraid of retaliation. They are very frightened and it is human nature. Losing you job after twenty years is the worst thing there is. Mr. Guzman said that he has been in this labor movement for some time and he has seen men cry when they lose their job. That is the worst thing that can happen. In your case, most of these employees are women. They are the toughest women and they don’t break down. But the worst thing and what broke them down is that they received their letter of demotion on Mother’s Day. Mr. Guzman asked the Board to reconsider this, loot it over. Local 59 is willing to talk to you. Our request to meet with you has been denied and the only response has been that we need to talk to Mr. Cichon. They would like to present the facts to the Board. He made reference to one of the documents handed to them, it is addressed to one of the employees and it is called an “administrative reassignment.” There are a lot of little terms on these papers. It is referred to as an administrative reassignment, reorganization, restructuring. But the main thing is that it is a demotion. If someone is to be demoted, you have to give them two-week notice. There was no notice given to these people. On the week of May 4 to May 8 they were doing a training to be certified as managers, and at the same time, on Friday, they were demoted. The Housing Authority runs through government money. Millions and millions of dollars have been put into this. We can’t say that we don’t have any money. There is no say on that because as these employees were being demoted, the directors got a raise, as you can see from the list provided. Directors got a raise because they did their job, but who helped them do their job, the employees at the bottom. On April 22, Mr. Cichon, the Executive Director, got a raise. Why did he get a raise? Because he is the man! He did his job! But who did the job under him? Mr. Guzman said that in reference to employees being demoted with their money, if an employee applies for a loan on May 8, with income of $50,000 and on May 11 that employee’s gross income is down to $36,000 the loan will be denied simply because he is making less money than what he was making before. These are employees who have been servicing the Housing Authority for ten, twenty, thirty, or up to forty years. They are proud of being Housing Authority employees. And when they are put down or stepped on, they still get up and report to work with their face down, but they still do their work and serve the public. On the last pages that were handed to you, you have the job descriptions for the Housing Manager and Assistant Manager; there is nothing different. The employees that are doing that job right now have the same qualifications. And now, what they are doing is that they are training their managers. Those employees that were actually demoted and whose pay was cut, those that were stepped on, are doing their job and, on top of that, they are trainers and doing the manager’s job. He asked the Board to take this into executive session and ask themselves if the re-organization worked for the Housing Authority. They know that even the Human Resources Department is without a director. All these positions came in with new employees, and, in his opinion, it did not worked. But the same people that were demoted and stepped on are still here. That is one of the things that they want to discuss with them as Commissioners. You have the power to do what is necessary. We have never heard anything from the Commissioners acknowledging that it was approved by them. The only thing that they received is that on his letter the Executive Director says that he has full authority. But Section 6.7 of the Personnel Policy states that “any management organizational structure of the Housing Authority should not be included as a reclassification.” The Executive Director did not think that it was a demotion but it was. The policy also refers to positions without Board approval so that means that the Board had to approve these demotions. He said that the only thing that they want is for them to hear from the employees; to hear from Local 59. We are ready to seat down and do a dialogue. Employees here down. It is very bad when you have the employees down. You should not have your employees down. The Housing Authority has a very good record. It is the highest rated around the country with 94 points on the scale. You claim to be the best of the best. And it must be so because Congressman Reyes is here all the time. But he does not know that the Housing Authority of El Paso put its employees down. And these employees make the directors look good, make the Housing Authority look good. He asked the Board to review the information and to reconsider the decision. The employees are the best asset that you have, and it is bad when you have a lot of employees leaving after several years of service. These employees have been working with different directors and Commissioners for a lot of years and they never had any problems. They had never been told that they are not worth it.
Attorney Blumenfeld informed Mr. Guzman that there are time limits to address the Board. To be consistent with the implementation of the rule, at this time, he would need to ask the Board if they are willing to allow him more time. In addition, he has mentioned that they would like to have a dialogue with the Board, but if a matter is not on the agenda, it is not something that the Board can discuss with you because they can only discuss items that are posted on the agenda.
The Board agreed to grant Mr. Guzman additional time.
David Guzman said that they have asked to place this item on the agenda. The response that they received from the Executive Director was that it was up to him, not the Board, if the item was placed on the agenda. At this time, he would like to ask the Board to place the item on the agenda for discussion and action next month. He asked them to place this into their minds, and not to forget their employees. On behalf of Local 59, he would like to ask the Board to add this item into the agenda. On behalf of all employees, he thanked them for their time and asked them not to forget the employees; they are your best asset. The employees make everybody look good, and it looks like the Housing Authority is the best in Texas. The reason for it is its employees from directors all the way down. Again, he thanked them for their attention.
Bill Arballo stated that he is not claiming any representation and is speaking on his own behalf as a private citizen. His role here today, as a private citizen and as an individual who has appeared before five different commissions and five different Executive Directors sitting right in those seats, is to bring a little history of what has gone on. The history has always been a positive history. The history and the relationship between the various boards and the various CEOs has always been a very good one. It has always been one of inclusiveness. There have been many changes in the Housing Authority in the last twenty years. He has been through five different mayors, and that also weights heavily in the relationship. In the 90s, we had Dr. Martinez as our director and there were many changes that took place during that time. We had fiscally responsible boards but they accepted the input of the employees. They sat with Local 59. They sat and took in consideration the worth value of their employees. This Board has not done that. This Executive Director has not done that. Following that we had Mr. Rudy Montiel, and, again, we went through that Housing Authority Policy Handbook and we were given the opportunity, your employees were given the opportunity of having participation in the writing of that Handbook. There was transition that was acceptable because the employees felt the Board and the Executive Director had their interests in line. Again, that was not done. Currently, there is language in the Handbook that talks about grandfathering. Now, this whole issue could have been so resolved because you are looking at 30 years of seniority, 15 years of seniority, and then you are looking at a negative impact of a loss of thousands of dollars. Now, if I was earning $174,000 a year I could afford $14,000 deduction. But if I am earning $40,000 maybe $50,000 a year with overtime, a $14,000 loss in my case is significant to my family. But you have not taken into consideration, as a Board, their interest and their concerns. There has been a lot of paperwork, a lot of terms, a lot of things that have been stated here, but the Board itself has not taken the opportunity that you have, as other Boards have done and other boards have supported. He is here as a private citizen to say to you with 49 years of experience in representing public sector employees including housing authorities across this country that this to him is the first commission that has set a deaf ear to their employees and allowed one individual to put the crown and say, “I am the king.” He asked the Board, in all humility and with 49 years of previous experience, to listen to your employees. Raise the morale because their morale is going to impact on longevity, on goodwill, and on performance. That is a standard that we all accept. Mr. Arballo asked the Board again, on behalf of your employees and as a private citizen, to listen to your employees. Have Mr. Cichon meet with them. Listen to what they have to say and consider grandfathering. Grandfathering is not something new. It can be done. And, apparently, with the $10,000 incentive given to Mr. Cichon, there must be money. Please consider that. He thanked the Board for their attention.
Item # 6. Approval of Minutes of a Special Board Meeting That Took Place on December 4, 2009. Commissioner Coyle made a motion to approve item # 6. It was seconded by Commissioner Quinn. Motion carried unanimously.
Item # 7. Approval of Minutes of a Regular Board Meeting That Took Place on December 18, 2009. Commissioner Quinn made a motion to approve item # 7. It was seconded by Commissioner Coyle. Motion carried unanimously.
Consent Agenda:
Item # 8. Purchasing and Construction Contract Awards:
A. Contract for Water Line Replacement at Sherman Apartments. Solicitation No. ARRA 10-B-0008.
Recommendation: Site: Contract Amount:
CSA Engineers & Constructors Sherman Apartments $405,000
B. Contract for Water Lines and Sewer Improvements at Cramer Apartments. Solicitation No. ARRA 10-B-0005.
Recommendation: Site: Contract Amount:
T-Dyne Contractors, Inc. Cramer $225,000
C. Renewal of Contract No. WH 09-C-0061 for Refrigerator Parts.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
Interline Brands PHA Wide $3,401.15 one-year
D. Renewal of Contract No. WH 09-C-0060 for Refrigerator Parts.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
PDQ Supply, Inc. PHA Wide $3,521.05 one-year
E. Renewal of Contract No. WH 09-C-0049 for Appliance Parts.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
Cunningham Distributing, Inc. PHA Wide $5,973.00 one-year
F. Renewal of Contract No. WH 09-C-0048 for Appliance Parts.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
Interline Brands PHA Wide $21,396.00 one-year
G. Renewal of Contract No. WH 09-C-0047 for Appliance Parts.
Recommendation: Site: Estimated Renewal Amount: Increase:
First Source Servall PHA Wide $31,722.58 one-year
H. Modification to Contract No. TS 09-C-0002 for Alamito Gardens.
Recommendation: Site: Previous: Increase: Aggregate:
Dantex Construction Co. Alamito $13,978,593.01 $37,403.55 $14,015,996.56
Gardens
Karen McCluskey, Director of CCPA, provided an explanation of changes covered by the proposed contract modification.
Commissioner Pratt made a motion to approve items # 8-A thru 8-H on the Consent Agenda. It was seconded by Commissioner Coyle. Motion carried unanimously.
Regular Agenda:
Item # 9. Discussion and Action Regarding Resolution Approving an Accounting and Budget Policy for the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, Texas. Satish Bhaskar, Chief Financial Officer, said that the proposed policy follows HUD handbook. There are no new major revisions. It is just a consolidation of resolutions previously approved.
Commissioner Coyle made a motion to approve item # 9. It was seconded by Commissioner Pratt. Motion carried unanimously.
Item # 10. Secretary’s Report.
A. Chief Executive Officer.
• ARRA Update. Mr. Cichon said that we have the obligation deadline coming up. We had to hold back on this based on the competitive ARRA that we had gone for. We needed to know how much money we were going to receive to know what we were going to spend the money on. If we had received it, we would have had to spend those funds in a certain way. We didn’t want to award contracts for all kinds of products and services and then have to vacate those contracts because the new competitive ARRA would have to be used for those same purposes. We waited until the competitive was finalized, and that came down in September, where we got the $10 million green ARRA. We advertised for fifteen roofing projects. Some of them were approved at the last Board meeting. However, we found that the pricing structure that we received on many of them was so inflated as to not be awardable. We were not going to waste this money just to obligate it and get out from underneath the federal government’s eye. HUD has been contacting us daily. He has had conversation daily for the last three weeks, and they are very concerned about the obligation, not only of El Paso, but across the entire United States. We vacated those RFPs. We looked at all the opportunities and ways in which that money could be obligated, but obligated correctly and in the best efficient use of dollars for the Housing Authority and the community at large. We found that we had time, with an abbreviated time frame, to put all those ARRA bids back out on the street. We realized that we had problems with the RFPs, that it stopped the little companies that did not have the bonding capabilities from bidding. This resulted in inflated costs. Also, some of the scopes of work were confusing and this contributed to the issue. So, we worked and put together twelve additional RFPs that we placed back on the street. Every single one is a roofing complex. We are doing roofing because we determined and found that with the asbestos issue, with the leaking issue, with the number of work orders that were generated, that the best and efficient use of the ARRA dollars would be toward the roofing situation that we find ourselves in. We also determined that the outreach could be much greater. We worked to put together solicitation that were published in Albuquerque, Tucson, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Worth. We have truncated the time frame to answer questions. We have not changed the RFPs to allow the little companies to bid. If they only have bonding or physical capacity to bid on three or four buildings, then they can bid on those. If they are the lowest bidder, we can award that, and based on the square that they are bidding on, then we can award to the next highest. And we know that there is an economy scale that will be built into it. We had a question-and-answer forum that occurred yesterday. We asked that all questions be provided, and we will publish them on our website. If you go to our website now, we have a special ARRA section that has all the RFPs that are out on the street. We also gave everything in data format and in hard format for everybody that was present. We had thirty-five to forty different contracting companies that specialize in roofing that were present at the meeting. The contractors had very positive results. They knew that the numbers coming back were very high. Some of them were up to ten times the industry norm for typical roofing contracts; hence, the reason why we vacated those contracts and put them back on the street. Most of the contractors that bid on those roofing complexes came back to the meeting. We informed them that the review process will be fair, it will be open, and it will be honest. And probably within the next thirty-days we will come back with recommendations. We have already sent notice to HUD as to what our plans are. Mr. Cichon said that he knows that Justin Ormsby has personally contacted the Chairperson regarding his concern of the expenditure rates. He also knows that the Deputy Secretaries of HUD are contacting the Mayors of the large housing authorities across the country to also inform them of the expenditure deadlines that are coming and the need for the housing authorities to obligate these dollars by March 17. Mr. Cichon said that Mr. Hoicka, Mr. Bhaskar, and Ms. McCluskey are present to address any of the questions and specifics that the Board may have.
Chairperson Fernandez asked how much money is left to obligate.
Mr. McCluskey said that so far we have obligated about $3.2 million
Commissioner Coyle asked if we know why some of the roofing bids came in at a reasonable amount and others did not.
Mr. Cichon said that we can speculate to some degree. Obviously, you have bonding capacities, and size of the complexes. You also have steep slope type of roofs that use multidimensional shingles, which is very easy and basic type of roofing. Some of the roofs that we are doing now are gabled roofs and flat roofs, which are more difficult.
B. Chief Financial Officer.
(1) Financial Services. Mr. Bhaskar said that we just concluded the fieldwork for the audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 and we should be getting a draft report shortly. During the March meeting, we are going to have the auditors present to make a full presentation. In regards to the financial statements, the report is for the month ending November 2009. A budget revision was approved in December but it is not reflected in it. It will be reflected when we get the January financials. All of the expenses and revenues are track, based upon the revised budget. Based on the old budget, we are sixty-five percent ahead of schedule, as far as surplus is concern. We will be at about thirty-three percent once the budget is revised but it is still way ahead of what we had anticipated. Regarding the Section 8 component, we have 5,322 units under lease. We received an additional $1.5 million which is outside of our normal budget. So, that is why the ending reserves for HAP looks ballooned. On the statements of financial position, we are getting close to resolving this. We are having weekly conference calls with HUD because HOPE VI is closing in September. We are hoping that within the next two weeks, they realign the eLOCCS system allowing us to draw down our funds. These are funds that we have spent out of our reserves to keep the Alamito project going. Regarding notes receivable and payable, Mr. Bhaskar said we only have three notes. One is getting paid out this month and it is for Section 8 New Construction. One is for Tio Cooper, which is an industry loan with the City. And we have one for Villa Alegre, which has a balloon payment in 2013. So we have limited long-term debt. He said that the Section 8 Program has two components: Administration, and HAP. We cannot use HAP dollars for administration but we can use administration dollars for HAP. He discussed the administration and HAP reserves.
(2) Procurement. Mr. Bhaskar said that on the procurement side, Mr. Cichon has given us a directive to go paperless on all of our bid processes. So starting with this ARRA, we are going with CDROMs, and that is how we will be conducting business in the future. He offered to answer any questions.
(3) Information Technology. No discussion.
C. Chief Operating Officer.
(1) Public Housing Program.
• Lease Up. David Hoicka, Chief Operating Officer, said that we have ninety-nine percent occupancy on Henderson and one hundred percent the next month; ninety-nine percent at Sitgraves; ninety-nine percent at Munoz, and a whole series of ninety-eight percents. There are a couple of places where the occupancy is a little lower but that is like eight units in one location and ten units in another location. So, the lease-up for public housing is very fortunate and very positive. Regarding Community Services, in the package there are several different things that we have been doing to work well with our residents. He said that we had some competitions for the best Christmas decorations with about sixty-five winners. The staff came up with awards that are going to be given. We want to reward and recognize the residents for taking care of the properties and for building community spirit.
(2) Section 8 Program.
• Lease Up. Mr. Hoicka said that we continue working on the lease-up. The maximum number that we are targeting for is 5,322 units. Right now we are at 5,046. The difference is 276 that we are looking to issue. However, we have 303 people out there looking for a unit. So we actually have more people looking for units than available vouchers. On the SEMAP, you basically get three choices. You get a zero, or a fifteen, or a twenty. On the two issues that are highlighted in yellow for you, we are just waiting for the tipping point to tip over from fifteen to twenty. Mr. Hoicka said that we will be opening our waiting list very soon.
(3) Development & Capital Projects. Mr. Hoicka said that we have a team of people focusing on preventive maintenance. Capital Fund is working on a lot of nitty-gritty things that have to be done or getting done. They are also closing on a lot of asbestos repair issues. Mr. Hoicka pointed out that after five months forty-nine percent of the UPCS buildings inspections are done and fifty-three percent of the units’ inspections are done. So, the development inspection team is ahead of schedule.
• Alamito Gardens. Mr. Hoicka said that we anticipate that during the month of February we will have forty-four units coming up on line. Public Housing is getting ready to move people into these units. We are also working on Alamito Place; we are working on the site layouts. The contractors have their preliminary design approval and are in their permitting process with City Hall. In another location they are already starting to grade for yet more units that are being built. Thank you very much.
Mr. Cichon said as a backup to the Alamito Gardens, we will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony in the near future. Congressman Reyes will be present as well as Mayor Cook.
D. Human Resources. Mr. Cichon said Ms. Munoz did leave. He added that he was told by her after her mother passed away late last summer that she would be leaving around December. We have somebody in on a temporary basis running HR.
E. News Articles.
• Community Events/Media Coverage. Shane Griffith, Public Information Officer, provided a brief report on community events through the month of December. He said that the Public Housing Authority Directors Association has an annual scholarship, which we are encouraging our residents to apply. There is a total of $17,000 available. We have to chose two through a select committee and submit those to the national office for selection. Mr. Griffith referred to our resident graduating from Irvin High School who received the Presidential Excellence Scholarship from UTEP. We had some coverage from K-Fox, the HACEP newsletter and the Mayor’s newsletter. In early December we ran the announcement on the hiring of Mr. Hoicka. We are so happy to have him on board. Also in December we had the Christmas stocking event at the Coliseum. This is a partnership with the Area Agency on Aging. We had 800 children receiving the stockings just before Christmas. We also had the Doll Ladies Tea Party organized by the Community Services Department where elderly residing within our communities take used dolls and toys and refurbish them to better than new condition. This is a partnership with Fort Bliss. Each year they put out an appreciation luncheon/tea party to recognize the elderly. The toys go to Operation Santa Claus and are donated to the El Paso Boys and Girls Clubs and other charitable organizations. Also during the month of December, we had the senior citizen dinner at St. George’s Church. Five hundred senior residents attended the Christmas dinner. This event is co-sponsored by the Lions Club. The Human Resources Department organized a Christmas luncheon for all the employees. Each employee received a cup with candy. After the event we took the group picture that you see there. Shortly after that we had the JWRC soccer tournament at Kennedy. It was organized by Ms. Vasquez and a number of other communities. Kennedy, Eisenhower, Sandoval, and Telles played against each other. It was a day of friendly competition. We later held a pizza party/awards event here at Central. Due to the economy some of the charitable organization that normally provided gifts to our residents had a shortfall in the number of collection. The employees rally and collected 225 gifts wrapped them and were presented to the JWRC for distribution to needy children. Mr. Griffith discussed the ARRA initiatives that have received media coverage. Finally, he said that on March 1 we will be having the ribbon cutting ceremony for two phases of Alamito Gardens. Congressman Reyes and Mayor Cook will be present. He offered to answer any questions.
Item # 11. The Board of Commissioners May Retire Into Executive Session at Any Time Upon the Motion of Any Commissioner Pursuant to the Texas Government Code, Section 551.071-551.076 to Discuss Any of the Following:
Section 551.071 Consultation with attorney.
Section 551.072 Deliberations about real property.
Section 551.073 Deliberations about gifts and donations.
Section 551.074 Personnel matter.
Section 551.076 Deliberations about security devices.
Discussion on the Following:
(a) Discussion and Update by Legal Counsel on Pending Litigation Matters. (Section 551.071)
Commissioner Pratt made a motion to go into Executive Session. It was seconded by Commissioner Coyle. Motion carried unanimously. The Board went into Executive Session at 6:55 p.m.
Commissioner Quinn made a motion to come out of Executive Session. It was seconded by Commissioner Coyle. Motion carried unanimously. The Board reconvened at 7:45 p.m.
Item # 12. Adjournment.
There being no further business to be discussed before the Board, Commissioner Quinn made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by Commissioner Coyle. Motion carried unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
ATTEST:
________________________________ ______________________________
Gerald Cichon Joe Fernandez
Secretary Chairperson of the Board
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