Hillsdale Housing Commission
45 N. West Street � Hillsdale, MI  49242
Phone: (517) 439-1210 � Fax: (517) 439-9577 � E-mail: mail@hillsdalehousing.org

Minutes - Regular Meeting April 05, 2001

Call to Order

The regular monthly meeting of the Hillsdale Housing Commission was held in the Community Room of Hilltop Apartments on Thursday, April 05, 2001, and was called to order at 12:08 p.m. by President Vear.

Roll Call

Minutes

Regular Meeting March 08, 2001

Commissioner Fowler, supported by Commissioner Doty, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held March 08, 2001 as submitted. The motion carried unanimously.

Public Hearing, March 22, 2001

Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Doty moved to approve the minutes of the public hearing held March 22, 2001 as submitted. The motion carried unanimously.

Special Meeting March 22, 2001

The minutes for the special meeting held March 22, 2001 was returned to the Secretary for revision.

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 recently installed pay telephone at Hilltop Apartments had generated $9.95 for the previous month.

Alarm System Annual Inspection

Mr. Piper reported that fire alarm/smoke detector inspection at Hilltop Apartments was scheduled for Monday, April 09^th and Tuesday April 10^th, as had been discussed during a previous meeting.

Elevator Load Test/State Inspection

Mr. Piper stated that the State Elevator Inspector had inspected the elevator at Hilltop Apartments.  Mr. Piper reported that the elevator had required a few minor repairs as a result of the inspection, and that the elevator service contractor had completed the required repairs on the same date as the inspection.

Landscape

Mr. Piper recommended the installation of a garden pond in the patio area. Mr. Piper stated his opinion that this installation could be completed for approximately $500.  Following brief discussion, Commissioners expressed agreement for this installation.

Credit Card

Mr. Piper recommended that the Hillsdale Housing Commission obtain a credit card for purchases where the Hillsdale Housing Commission does not have an account. Following brief discussion, Commissioners instructed Director Cousino to obtain an additional credit card in Mr. Piper’s name on the Commission’s current account, and request a credit limit increase from $1,000 to $2,000.

Accounts Payable Report/Bills

Bills in the amount of $26,602.68 were presented for payment. Commissioner Fowler, 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

Additional Television Stations for Antenna System

Hilltop Apartments Resident Bernadine Laser (103) inquired into the possibility of the Hillsdale Housing Commission obtaining hardware to acquire additional channels with the existing antenna system at Hilltop Apartments.  Mr. Piper stated he would research this issue and present findings at a later date.

DART Rental of Smoking Room

Hilltop Apartments Resident Vaughn Martin (414) inquired as to the status of the Dial-A-Ride office relocating to the Hilltop Apartments Smoking Room. Director Cousino reported that he had sent a letter to HUD requesting approval but had not received a reply as of this date.

Director’s Report

QHWRA

FY 2002 Annual Plan

Executive Director Cousino reported that the Annual Plan is scheduled for submission to HUD on Friday, April 06, 2001.

FY 2000 PHAS Score

Executive Director Cousino reported that he had recently received notice that the Commission’s FY 2000 Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) score had been recalculated due to recent legislative changes.  Mr. Cousino reported that the Commission’s score with the new recalculation method remained at 90.4%, earning the Commission HUD’s designation of “High Performer,” HUD’s highest designation for Public Housing Agencies.

Voice Mail

Executive Director Cousino stated he had received occasional complaints regarding callers encountering busy signals at the Commission’s business telephone number. Mr. Cousino reported that he had completed initial research on this item, and stated that an additional phone line would cost at least $35.00 per month.  If installed, callers would be automatically forwarded to the additional line when they encountered a busy signal on the Commission’s primary line.  Mr. Cousino reported that Ameritech offered voice mail services for approximately $14.00 per month which would forward callers encountering busy signals to a voice-mail system.  Finally, Mr. Cousino reported that hardware devices to facilitate automatically forwarding calls were priced starting at $ 1,000.00. Mr. Cousino stated that, if Commissioners agreed that busy lines presented problems, he recommended that voice mail service be obtained for a one-year trial period. If, at the end of this period it was determined that call-forwarding services were necessary, the Commission should consider the purchase of a hardware system.  Commissioners agreed to discuss this item at a later date, following additional research by Commission staff.

Property Liability Insurance Coverage

Director Cousino reported the recent renewal of the Commission’s property/general liability coverage with the Commission’s existing carrier, and reported that the policy covered 80% of replacement value. 

Mr. Cousino reported that, due to several firms declining to bid, he had only been able to obtain one other quotation for this coverage, and that this quotation had been $20.00 higher than the Commission’s current carrier.  However, Mr. Cousino reported that this bidder offered 100% coverage, for only $20 more per year.  Director Cousino reported that the Commission’s current policy could be cancelled following a 90-day written notice.

Mr. Cousino reported that a representative from the Michigan Housing Commission Risk Retention Alliance (MCHRRA) requested the opportunity to address the Commission at a future meeting to discuss benefits of changing to MCHRRA. After a brief discussion Commissioners instructed Mr. Cousino to invite representatives from both companies at future meetings. 

MERS F-55 Program

Executive Director Cousino reported that Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper had presented an inquiry regarding enrollment in the Michigan Employee Retirement System (MERS) “F-55” program.  Mr. Cousino reported that the F-55 program allows an employee to retire at age 55 with full benefits, and stated that the City of Hillsdale did not currently offer this program, and that adoption of the F-55 program would therefore require City Council approval.  Mr. Cousino further stated that a current valuation would be necessary to determine the cost of providing this service, and stated that a valuation would cost of approximately $450.  Following discussion, Commissioners and Mr. Piper agreed to take no action at the present time.

Resident Activities Budgetary Fund

Executive Director Cousino reported that the Hillsdale Housing Commission’s FY 2001 operating budget contained $280.00 designated for resident activities. Mr. Cousino further reported that a resident of Hilltop Apartments had volunteered to teach a ceramics class at no cost for teaching services. Mr. Cousino reported that a survey had circulated to determine resident interest.  Following discussion, Commissioners requested that Mr. Cousino continue researching this item for possible implementation. 

Increase in Petty Cash

Executive Director Cousino stated his opinion that an increase to petty cash was necessary.  Following discussion, Commissioners and Mr. Cousino agreed to observe the current petty cash limit, since the Commission took action to increase the credit card limit for incidental purchases.  Discussion also occurred regarding opening a charge account at the Market House.

Capital Fund Program 2002

Executive Director Cousino stated that he had received approval notice of CFP 2002 funds for approximately $78,216.

Unfinished Business

Hilltop Apartment Resident Association

No action occurred on this item.

Hillsdale Housing Commission By-Laws

Commissioners directed Executive Director Cousino and Commissioner Fowler to meet to review a draft revision of the By-Laws and present recommendations at a future meeting.

DART Rental of Arts & Crafts Room

No further discussion occurred as this was addressed earlier under “Visitors with Commission Business.” 

Resolution # HHC 2001-19 – Adoption of Executive Director’s Job Description Revision

Commissioners directed Executive Director Cousino and President Vear to meet to review a draft revision of the Executive Director’s Job Description and present recommendations at a future meeting.

Resolution # HHC 2001-20 – Adoption of Revised Hilltop Apartment Resident Handbook

Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Doty moved to accept Resolution #HHC 2001-20, revising the Hilltop Apartment Resident Handbook. The motion carried unanimously.  

Personnel Policy Revision

Executive Director Cousino presented a draft revision to the Commission’s existing Personnel Policy, and requested approval for the Personnel Policy to be forwarded to the Commission’s attorney for review. Board members expressed approval to submit the draft Personnel Policy to the Commission’s attorney for review.

Hilltop Apartments Fire Drill

Executive Director Cousino stated a fire drill had been scheduled at Hilltop Apartments, and that a letter had been sent to City of Hillsdale Director of Safety Chris Gutowski, inviting the fire department to participate in this exercise. Mr. Cousino reported that no response the letter had been received.  President Vear requested that Mr. Cousino follow up with Mr. Gutowski.

Adjournment

Commissioner Doty, supported by Vice president Field, moved to adjourn. The motion carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.  

Respectfully submitted,  

Victoria J. VanVlerah,  
Secretary, Hillsdale Housing Commission