Minutes - Regular Meeting March 08, 2001 Call to Order The regular monthly meeting of the Hillsdale Housing Commission was held in the Community Room of Hilltop Apartments on Thursday, March 08, 2001, and was called to order at 12:15 p.m. by President Vear. Roll Call Present were: | President Vear, Vice president Field, Commissioners Skiver, Fowler and Doty. | Absent was: | None. | Also present were: | Executive Director Alton Cousino, Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper, Secretary Vickie VanVlerah, Housekeeper Luanne Lehman, Hillsdale City Manager Tim Vagle, Hillsdale City Code Enforcement Official Jim Frank, and the following Hilltop Apartments residents: Joyce Johnson (402), Gerald St. Peter (210), Betty Blair (205), Archie Hicks (111), Vaughn Martin (414), Joy Pauley (309), Marlene Donihue (203), and Hilda Sager (105). |
Minutes Regular Meeting February 04, 2001 / Special Meeting February 22, 2001Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Doty, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held February 04, 2001, and the special meeting held February 22, 2001, as submitted. The motion carried unanimously.
Report of Maintenance Unit Turnover Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper presented a report on unit turnover at Hilltop Apartments. Pay Telephone Mr. Piper reported that a pay telephone in operation in the vestibule of Hilltop Apartments, as had been discussed during a previous meeting. Door LocksetsMr. Piper reported receipt of a quotation for new passage levers and deadbolts for all units at Hilltop Apartments, in the amount of $12,953.25. Alarm System Annual InspectionMr. Piper reported he had received a verbal quotation from Comtronics, and a written response from Safety Systems of $1,300.00 to perform the required annual inspection on the alarm system at Hilltop Apartments. Mr. Piper reported that no representative from Comtronics examined the system. Commissioner Doty, supported by Commissioner Skiver, moved to accept the quotation from Safety Systems as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
DownspoutsMr. Piper reported that a section of downspout at Hilltop Apartments had replaced due to ice damage.
Elevator Load Test/State InspectionMr. Piper reported that a load test for the elevator had been scheduled in May 2001, and reported that the test is required once every three years. Mr. Piper reported that the cost for this test would be approximately $700.00. Mr. Piper further reported that an inspection by a representative by the State of Michigan is required annually, but reported difficulty scheduling a State inspection of the elevator equipment. President Vear directed Mr. Piper to contact the State and request a letter from the State of Michigan for our files.
Accounts Payable Report/Bills Bills in the amount of $27, 055.79 were presented for payment. Commissioner Doty, supported by Commissioner Skiver, moved to accept the Accounts Payable Report and pay the bills as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Visitors with Commission Business Visitors presented no Commission business. Directors Report Operations | 1 Br. | 2 Br. | | Move-Ins: | 2 | 0 | | Move-Outs: | 1 | 0 | | Vacancies: | 3 | 0 | | Approved Applications: | 9 | 0 | | Applications in Processing: | 4 | 0 | | Applications on Waiting List: | 1 | 0 |
QHWRAPASSExecutive Director Cousino reported that HUD-contracted inspections had been cancelled for PHAs with fiscal year end 03/31/2001 under the Physical Assessment Subsystem (PASS), a component of HUDs new PHAS grading system. Mr. Cousino presented his opinion that the inspection system may be revised in the near future and recommended that he and Mr. Piper not attend the inspector training in Washington, as had been discussed during a previous meeting.
FY 2002 Annual PlanExecutive Director Cousino reported that the draft Annual Plan for fiscal year 2002 had been posted for the thirty-day comment and public notice. Mr. Cousino reported that a public hearing had been scheduled for March 22, at 12:00 Noon at the Hilltop Apartments Community Room.
Resolution # HHC 2001-16 Adoption of Follow-up Plan to Results of the PHAS Resident Satisfaction Survey Mr. Cousino reported that a meeting had been held with residents of Hilltop Apartments on February 22, 2001, to discuss items in the Resident Satisfaction Survey circulated annually by HUD. Mr. Cousino reported that meeting attendees indicated that no problems needed to be resolved. Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Doty, moved to adopt Resolution #HHC 2001-16, Adoption of Follow-up Plan to the Results of the PHAS Resident Satisfaction Survey, as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
Extension of Overnight Guest Privileges for ResidentDirector Cousino reported receipt a doctors request for a Hilltop Apartments resident to receive around-the-clock care for a period of three months. Mr. Cousino stated the Commissions policy for overnight guests was a maximum of fourteen times per calendar year, but may be extended in the case of illness. Commissioner Fowler supported by Commissioner Doty moved to approve the additional time requested for this resident as specified in the physicians request. The motion carried unanimously.
Resolution # HHC 2001-17 Approval of FY 2001 Audit ReportMr. Cousino presented the audit report for the fiscal year ending 2001 for approval. A general discussion followed regarding the audit. President Vear requested that the auditor present an oral report with the next years audit. Commissioner Fowler supported by Commissioner Doty moved to accept the audit as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
Hillsdale Housing Commission Web SiteMr. Cousino reported the Hillsdale Housing Commissions Internet Web site was operational, as had been discussed during a previous meeting. Mr. Cousino stated that he had received praise regarding site content from the Detroit Office of HUD and was informed that the site would be nominated for a HUD Best Practice award under HUDs full disclosure initiative.
Bushs Proposed HUD Budget CutsMr. Cousino reported receipt of documents from professional housing organizations indicating that President Bush had proposed cutting Capital Fund Program (CFP) by 25% and eliminating the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP). He recommended sending letters to Congress and Representative with President Vears signature. Following brief discussion, President Vear agreed to countersign the letters.
Executive Director Personal TimeExecutive Director Cousino reported that he had erroneously not issued payment for the Executive Directors personal time in 2000, in accordance with the Hillsdale Housing Commissions Personnel Policies. Mr. Cousino requested approval to include the 2000 compensation with the payment for 2001, on March 28, 2001. Following discussion, Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Skiver moved to pay Executive Director Cousino for twelve days (84 hours) of unused personal time. The motion carried unanimously.
Unfinished Business Staff Wage Rates/Salaries No action occurred on this item. Commissioners agreed to discuss this item during a special meeting scheduled for March 22, 2001. Full-time Secretary Feasibility StudyNo action occurred on this item. Commissioners agreed to discuss this item during a special meeting scheduled for March 22, 2001. Hilltop Apartments Residents Association No action occurred on this item.
Hilltop Apartments Alarms Monitor No action occurred on this item. Commissioners agreed to discuss this item during the special meeting scheduled for March 22, 2001. Hillsdale Housing Commission By-LawsDirector Cousino provided each Commissioner with a photocopy of a draft revision to the Commissions By-Laws, incorporating recommended changes, as requested during a previous meeting. Commissioners agreed to discuss this item at a future meeting. DART Rental of Arts and Crafts RoomA general discussion ensued among many meeting attendees regarding the possibility of renting the Smoking Room at Hilltop Apartments to the Citys Dial-A-Ride administration as office space. Hilltop Apartments residents asked questions and stated their concerns. City Manager Tim Vagle and Code Enforcement Official Jim Frank addressed concerns presented, and stated that several other sites were also being considered. Mr. Vagle and Mr. Frank stated that they would like to get the Dial-A-Ride office into a new location before next winter, and reported that they are currently spending $300.00 per month at their present location. Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Doty, moved to approve DART lease the smoking room at Hilltop Apartments for $300.00 per month, and directed Executive Director Cousino to contact HUD for any necessary approval. The motion carried unanimously. New BusinessExecutive Directors Job DescriptionExecutive Director Cousino provided each Commissioner with a draft revision to the existing Executive Directors Job Description, as had been discussed during a previous meeting. Commissioners agreed to review the draft Description and discuss this item at a later date.
Hilltop Apartments Resident HandbookDirector Cousino reported that several minor revisions to the existing Hilltop Apartments Resident Handbook were necessary due to reflect current Commission practices and policies. Director Cousino provided each Commissioner with a photocopy of the draft revised Handbook. Following brief discussion, Commissioner Doty, supported by Commissioner Fowler, moved to post the Resident Handbook for a thirty-day comment period. The motion carried unanimously.
Personnel Policy RevisionMr. Cousino provided each Commissioner with a draft revision of the Commissions existing Personnel Policy. Commissioners agreed to review the draft policy and discuss this item at a later date.
Hilltop Apartments Fire DrillNo action occurred on this item. Commissioners agreed to discuss this item at a special meeting to be held on March 22, 2001.
Adjournment Commissioner Fowler supported by Commissioner Doty moved the meeting adjourned. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Victoria J. VanVlerah,
Secretary, Hillsdale Housing Commission | 
