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 November 09, 2000

Call to Order

The regular monthly meeting of the Hillsdale Housing Commission was held in the Community Room of Hilltop Apartments on Thursday, November 09, 2000 and was called to order at 12:12 p.m. by President Vear.

Roll Call

Minutes - Regular Meeting October 05, 2000

Commissioner Field, supported by Commissioner Skiver, moved to accept the minutes of the regular meeting held October 05, 2000 as presented.  The motion carried unanimously.

Report of Maintenance

Unit Turnover

Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper presented a report on unit turnover times at Hilltop Apartments

Fence Repairs

Mr. Piper reported that repairs to the fence at Hilltop Apartments had been completed by the installation contractor and stated that the fence had been reinforced.

Irrigation System Winterization

Mr. Piper reported that winterization of the recently installed irrigation system at Hilltop Apartments had recently been completed. 

Landscape

Mr. Piper stated that he anticipated completion of the remainder of contracted landscaping services in the near future.

Lawn Care Contract

Mr. Piper reported receipt of a lawn care contract quotation from the Commission’s current lawn care contractor. Mr. Piper reported a modest increase in contract cost, and reported that it was possible to guarantee a contract cost of $208 per year, should the Commission execute an additional two-year contract.  The Commissioners expressed approval for execution of the proposed three-year contract for lawn care.

In-House Antenna System

Mr. Piper reported that the Hilltop Apartments in-house antenna system was malfunctioning and reported receipt of a $2,300.00 quotation to rebuild and repair the system.  Commissioner Field made a motion to approve the quotation for repair and to allocate funds from the Commission’s FY 2001 operating budget.  The motion was supported by Commissioner Skiver and carried unanimously.

Apartment Flooring

Mr. Piper reported that the tile in apartments at Hilltop Apartments was getting brittle, and that the tile pattern had been discontinued. Mr. Piper presented two options to address this problem, to completely re-tile each unit or install carpeting. Mr. Piper stated his opinion that replacements could be completed as units were turned over during vacancies and that purchase of carpeting could be done through future Capital Fund Program grants. Discussion ensued on this topic. 

Door Replacement

Mr. Piper reported that the apartment bedroom and bathroom doors in all apartments at Hilltop Apartments needed replacement, as had been discussed following HUD’s annual physical inspection.

Humidifiers

Mr. Piper reported that four humidifiers had been purchased and placed on each floor of Hilltop Apartments.

Housekeeper

Mr. Piper reported that housekeeper Candi Piper had terminated employment. Mr. Piper reported that an advertisement for this position had been placed in the Hillsdale Daily News, and that several applicants had applied for the position.  Mr. Piper reported that applicants had been interviewed; a finalist had been selected, and would begin work in the near future.

Accounts Payable Report/Bills

Bills in the amount of $30,282.04 were presented for payment. Commissioner Skiver, supported by Commissioner Field, 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.

Director’s Report

QHWRA

Community Service Policy

Executive Director Alton Cousino presented a draft Community Service Policy, and stated that such a policy was required under the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act (QHWRA).  Following brief discussion, Commissioner Field moved to post the draft policy for thirty days of public comment as submitted. Commissioner Skiver supported the motion, which carried unanimously. 

Optional Deductions

Director Cousino reported that Congress recently enacted legislation that would allow the Housing Commission to adopt additional deductions that would benefit working families. Mr. Cousino stated that the new legislation allowed PHAs to calculate working families’ rent on net income instead of gross, and allowed PHAs to count child support payments as deductions from family income. Mr. Cousino cautioned, however, that the Housing Commission might be forced to absorb any loss of rental income as a result of the adoption of these optional deductions. Commissioners agreed to discuss this item at a later date.

CFP Progress Report

CFP 2000 Report

No action occurred on this item.  Director Cousino stated that the U.S. Department of HUD had not yet released these funds.

Annual Plan

Director Cousino reported receipt of a letter from the U.S. Department of HUD, approving the Commission’s FY 2001 Annual Plan. Director Cousino provided each Commissioner with a photocopy of the approval letter.

Staff Wage Rates/Salaries

No action occurred on this item.  Director Cousino stated that a wage rate survey had been distributed to PHAs and that results of tabulations would be presented at a later date.

Hilltop Apartments Resident Association

Mr. Cousino reported that a meeting had been held with the residents of Hilltop Apartments on November 08, 2000 to discuss the Hilltop Apartments Resident Association (HARA). Mr. Cousino reported that HARA had not been observing their by-laws nor holding regular meetings. Mr. Cousino reported that he had inquired if resident meeting attendees were interested in continuing to have a resident association, and stated that he had not received a response.  Mr. Cousino further reported that a survey had been distributed to all residents in an attempt to document lack of tenant interest on this issue.  Mr. Cousino stated that results of this survey would be presented to the Housing Commission upon completion.    

Hilltop Apartments Alarms Monitor

Director Cousino reported that the Hilltop Apartments alarms monitor had terminated employment and stated that a memo had been circulated among the Hilltop Apartments residents encouraging them to apply for the vacancy. Mr. Cousino reported that no qualified residents had applied for the position. Mr. Cousino reported that he and Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper continued take after-hours calls, and stated that Mr. Piper was on call the majority of the time. Mr. Cousino reported the informal results of the wage survey, which suggested that most Michigan PHAs of similar size did not employ a resident as alarms monitor.  Mr. Cousino suggested that the Commission consider abolishing the monitor’s position and suggested that residents receive a list of emergency phone numbers, instead. Mr. Cousino further suggested that residents request an additional key to give to a family member or a neighbor should they accidentally get locked out of their apartment.  Mr. Cousino further recommended that a master apartment key be placed in each lock box for emergency personnel.  Finally, Mr. Cousino recommended that an amendment be made to the Dwelling Lease and related materials to include access of emergency personnel to apartments.  

Commissioner Field made a motion to abolish the Monitors Position and all after-hours on-call services, effective November 17, 2000. Commissioner Skiver supported the motion. President Pauken requested comments from the residents in attendance and received no comment.  The motion carried unanimously. Mr. Cousino recommended that Mr. Piper receive the Monitor’s wages for his on-call time.  Commissioners expressed approval to pay the monitor’s wages to Mr. Piper for on-call services.

Pet Deposit/Non-refundable Fee

Mr. Cousino reported receipt of a letter from the Commission’s legal counsel regarding the pet deposit at Hilltop Apartments.  Mr. Cousino also reported that he had responded in writing to the attorney’s recommendations, and provided Commissioners with photocopies of this correspondence.  Following brief discussion, Commissioners requested that Mr. Cousino perform additional research on this issue.  Mr. Cousino stated that research would be presented upon receipt.

Adjournment

Commissioner Skiver, supported by Commissioner Field, moved to adjourn.  The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 1:22 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted,

Victoria J. VanVlerah
Secretary, Hillsdale Housing Commission