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 October 03, 2002

Call to Order

The regular monthly meeting of the Hillsdale Housing Commission was held in the Community Room of Hilltop Apartments on Thursday, October 03, 2002, and was called to order at 12:08 p.m. by President Vear.

Roll Call

Additions to Agenda

No additions to the agenda were presented.

Minutes - Regular Meeting September 05, 2002

Vice president Field moved to accept the minutes of the regular meeting held on September 05, 2002 as presented.  Commissioner Doty supported the motion, which carried unanimously.

Residents and Visitors with Commission Business

HARA Report

                    HARA Bake and Rummage Sale

Hilltop Apartments Resident Association (HARA) President Betty Blair (205) reported that HARA held a Bake/Rummage Sale September 13^th and 14^th, 2002 and stated that the sale had been a success.  Ms. Blair reported that with the proceeds HARA was able to purchase a color printer and supplies for the Hilltop Residents’ computer and send one resident to a computer class held at the Hillsdale County Senior Services Center .

 Accounts Payable Report/Bills

Bills in the amount of $18,977.21 were presented for payment.  Commissioner Eames, supported by Vice president Field, moved to accept the Accounts Payable report and pay the bills as presented.  The motion carried unanimously.

Maintenance Supervisor’s Report

Unit Turnovers

Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper reported that there had been no unit turnovers since the last regular meeting.

Payphone Revenue

Mr. Piper reported that the payphone at Hilltop Apartments had generated $3.25 in revenue since the last regular meeting.

Winter Landscaping Preparation

Mr. Piper reported that bulbs had been planted and that preparations for the winter season had begun.

Hilltop Apartments Pond

Mr. Piper reported that a 175-gallon stock tank had been purchased and installed in the Hilltop Apartments maintenance shop to hold goldfish and plants from the Hilltop Apartments pond for the winter.  Mr. Piper stated that the pond would be cleaned and winterized during the next month. 

Generator Service

Mr. Piper reported that annual generator service was scheduled in the near future for the generators at Hilltop Apartments. 

Antenna

As previously discussed, Mr. Piper reported that the estimated cost for installation of two additional channels at Hilltop Apartments would be approximately $1,500.

Energy Demand Controller

Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper reported that the Energy Command Controller system at Hilltop Apartments was not functioning, and reported that he had been unable to locate documentation for the system, due to obsolescence.  Mr. Piper reported that he had requested a quotation to replace the existing system and stated that a new installation would be approximately $8,950 with potential annual savings of $2,182.  Mr. Piper inquired if the Board would be interested in pursuing replacement of the Energy Demand Controller system at Hilltop Apartments.  Commissioners requested that Director Cousino research whether other Housing Authorities employed such a system. 

Executive Director’s Report

Hillsdale Housing Commission Web Site

Executive Director Alton Cousino reported that the Commission’s Web site home page surpassed 1,000 hits in August, after only 12 months of operation.  Mr. Cousino reported that other PHAs and HUD are using the site and that he had received inquiries regarding Hilltop Apartments through the site.  Mr. Cousino further reported that he had been able to refer people to the local Section 8 contractor for housing assistance through inquiries from the site.  Director Cousino stated his opinion that the site was successful and had been functioning well as a promotional tool for the Housing Commission.

Grant Reports

CPF 2002

Winterizing of Utility Truck

Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper reported that the installation of a cruise control device and a bed liner for the Commission’s truck were scheduled for the near future. Mr. Piper reported the installation of the load support system had been completed, as discussed at a previous meeting.

Carpet Runners

Mr. Piper reported that new carpet runners had been installed at Hilltop Apartments, at a cost lower than projected during a previous meeting.

                   Lawn Mower Bagger

Mr. Piper reported that a lawn mower bagger for the Commission’s lawn mower had been purchased and installed, at a cost below the amount projected.

                    Drinking Fountain

Mr. Piper reported that it had been necessary to replace the drinking fountain in the hallway at Hilltop Apartments.  Mr. Piper reported that a new drinking fountain had been installed that met handicapped accessibility standards.

Reports of Committees and Subcommittees

There were no reports from committees or subcommittees.

Unfinished Business

Commissioner Training

Mr. Cousino reported that two Commissioners would be unable to attend the Commissioner training originally scheduled for October 24, 2002.  Mr Cousino recommended postponement of the training until January or February, 2003. 

Schedule of All Positions and Salaries

Executive Director Al Cousino presented an updated Schedule of All Positions and Salaries report with recommended increases listed as requested during a previous meeting.  

Mr. Cousino recommended a $1.00 per hour raise, from $8.76 per hour to $9.76 per hour, for Maintenance Person Luanne Lehman, due to a recent change in title and job responsibilities.  Commissioner Eames, supported by Commissioner Field, moved to increase Ms. Lehman’s hourly rate from $8.56 to $9.56, retroactive to the date of title change (June 04, 2002), and further moved that Ms. Lehman’s wage be increased by the budgeted 3%, effective on the anniversary of her hire date, December 04, 2002.  The motion carried unanimously.   

Mr. Cousino recommended increasing the daily Monitor wage (for after-hours on-call personnel) by $0.50 per day, from $8.50 per day to $9.00.  Vice president Field, supported by Commissioner Eames, moved to accept the increase in the Monitor salary as recommended, effective the next pay period.  Roll call vote: Doty, no; Vear, yes; Skiver, yes; Field, yes; Eames, yes.  The motion carried.  

Commissioners agreed to review annual budgeted increases in wages for Executive Director Alton Cousino and Secretary Michelle Loren prior to the July 2003 regularly scheduled meeting. 

Pet Policy – Proposed Modifications

Director Cousino presented a photocopy of a letter from the Commission’s legal counsel to all Commissioners recommending that the Commission not modify the existing Pet Policy to include a clause for establishment of a pet exercise area.  Mr. Cousino previously distributed a letter from the Commission’s insurance carrier, photocopies of an e-mail discussion group by other PHA directors and a Hilltop Apartments resident survey, none recommending this change.  Commissioners agreed not to modify the existing Pet Policy to establish a pet exercise area.

New Business

2003 TransWestern Telephone Directory

Executive Director Alton Cousino reported that he had been successful in retaining a 40% discount in the yellow pages ad for the upcoming year, as requested during a previous meeting, but indicated that the cost for the advertisement had still increased.

Maintenance Supervisor Annual Salary Increase

Mr. Cousino reported that Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper would complete his 9^th year of service on November 01, 2002.  Mr. Cousino recommended that the Commission grant the budgeted 3% salary increase, from $14.85 per hour to $15.30 per hour, effective November 01, 2002. Commissioner Doty also recommended an additional $0.70 merit increase, bringing the Maintenance Supervisor salary to $16.00 per hour effective November 01, 2002.  Commissioner Eames, supported by Vice president Field, moved to accept the increase from $14.85 per hour to $16.00 per hour, effective November 01, 2002. The motion carried unanimously.

Resolution #HHC 2003-10 – Modify Maintenance, Repair and Utility Charges Policy

Director Cousino reported that he had recently completed a study of air conditioner excess utility charges at Hilltop Apartments.  Mr. Cousino reported that he, along with Maintenance Supervisor Paul Piper and Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities Director Rick Rose, had developed a system to project the average cost for air conditioning which differed from the traditional method of calculating such charges that most PHAs employed.  Mr. Cousino provided each Commissioner with a copy of the completed study and stated his opinion that this method was far more accurate in projecting actual resident charges for air conditioning excess utilities.  

Mr. Cousino reported that Hillsdale BPU Director Rose had delivered a meter which accurately measured the actual electricity usage in a dwelling unit in Hilltop Apartments.  Mr. Cousino stated that he had multiplied the actual usage times the average cost of electricity to arrive at a cost which was less than half the cost of the traditionally-calculated method.  

Following discussion and a review of the study, Commissioner Eames, supported by Vice president Field, moved to accept the FY 2002 Air Conditioning Excess Utility Study as presented and to adopt Resolution #HHC 2003-10.  The motion carried unanimously.

Adjournment

Commissioner Doty, supported by President Vear, moved to adjourn.  The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 1:13 p.m.

 Respectfully submitted,  

Michelle Loren, Secretary
Hillsdale Housing Commission