The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 04162013 - HA Completed Min Packet CALENDAR FOR THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOARD CHAMBERS ROOM 107, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 651 PINE STREET MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA 94553-1229 FEDERAL D. GLOVER, CHAIR KAREN MITCHOFF, VICE CHAIR JOHN GIOIA CANDACE ANDERSEN MARY N. PIEPHO GENEVA GREEN (TENANT SEAT) JOSEPH VILLARREAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, (925) 957-8000 The Board of Commissioners respects your time, and every attempt is made to accurately estimate when an item may be heard by the Board. All times specified for items on the Board of Commissioners agenda are approximate. Items may be heard later than indicated depending on the business of the day. Your patience is appreciated. AGENDA April 16, 2013 1:30 P.M. Convene and call to order. CONSIDER CONSENT ITEMS: (Items listed as C.1 through C.4 on the following agenda. Items are subject to removal from the Consent Calendar by request from any Commissioner or on request for discussion by a member of the public. Items removed from the Consent Calendar will be considered with the Short Discussion items. SHORT DISCUSSION ITEMS: SD. 1 CONSIDER Consent Items previously removed. There were no items removed from consent. SD. 2 PUBLIC COMMENT (2 Minutes/Speaker) There were no requests to speak at Public Comment. CLOSED SESSION A. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Govt. Code Section 54957.6(a)) 1. Agency Negotiators: Fran Buchanan, and Frances Trant Employee Organizations: Public Employees Union, Local No. 1 2. Agency Negotiators: Fran Buchanan and Joseph Villarreal April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 1 Unrepresented Employees: All unrepresented agency management employees and all other unrepresented agency employees. There were no reports from Closed Session. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m. CONSENT ITEMS: C.1 APPROVE the proposed Housing Choice Voucher payment standards for the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa, retroactive to April 1, 2013. District I Supervisor John Gioia ABSENT District II Supervisor Candace Andersen AYES District III Supervisor Mary N. Piepho AYES District IV Supervisor Karen Mitchoff AYES District V Supervisor Federal D. Glover AYES Tenant Seat Geneva Green ABSENT C.2 RECEIVE report regarding the change in terms with Westamerica Bank for the Housing Authority's purchase of the Housing Choice Voucher office, located at 2870 Howe Road, Martinez, CA. District I Supervisor John Gioia ABSENT District II Supervisor Candace Andersen AYES District III Supervisor Mary N. Piepho AYES District IV Supervisor Karen Mitchoff AYES District V Supervisor Federal D. Glover AYES Tenant Seat Geneva Green ABSENT C.3 ACCEPT articles regarding affordable housing issues. District I Supervisor John Gioia ABSENT District II Supervisor Candace Andersen AYES District III Supervisor Mary N. Piepho AYES District IV Supervisor Karen Mitchoff AYES April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 2 District V Supervisor Federal D. Glover AYES Tenant Seat Geneva Green ABSENT C.4 DENY claim filed by Naja Williams. District I Supervisor John Gioia ABSENT District II Supervisor Candace Andersen AYES District III Supervisor Mary N. Piepho AYES District IV Supervisor Karen Mitchoff AYES District V Supervisor Federal D. Glover AYES Tenant Seat Geneva Green ABSENT GENERAL INFORMATION Persons who wish to address the Board of Commissioners should complete the form provided for that purpose and furnish a copy of any written statement to the Clerk. All matters listed under CONSENT ITEMS are considered by the Board of Commissioners to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless requested by a member of the Board or a member of the public prior to the time the Commission votes on the motion to adopt. Persons who wish to speak on matters set for PUBLIC HEARINGS will be heard when the Chair calls for comments from those persons who are in support thereof or in opposition thereto. After persons have spoken, the hearing is closed and the matter is subject to discussion and action by the Board. Comments on matters listed on the agenda or otherwise within the purview of the Board of Commissioners can be submitted to the office of the Clerk of the Board via mail: Board of Commissioners, 651 Pine Street Room 106, Martinez, CA 94553; by fax: 925-335-1913; or via the County’s web page: www.co.contracosta.ca.us, by clicking “Submit Public Comment” (the last bullet point in the left column under the title “Board of Commissioners.”) The County will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities planning to attend Board meetings who contact the Clerk of the Board at least 24 hours before the meeting, at (925) 335-1900; TDD (925) 335-1915. An assistive listening device is available from the Clerk, Room 106. Copies of taped recordings of all or portions of a Board meeting may be purchased from the Clerk of the Board. Please telephone the Office of the Clerk of the Board, (925) 335-1900, to make the necessary arrangements. Applications for personal subscriptions to the monthly Board Agenda may be obtained by calling the Office of the Clerk of the Board, (925) 335-1900. The monthly agenda may also be viewed on the County’s internet Web Page: www.co.contra-costa.ca.us April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 3 The Closed session agenda is available each month upon request from the Office of the Clerk of the Board, 651 Pine Street, Room 106, Martinez, California, and may also be viewed on the County’s Web Page. PERSONS WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE BOARD MAY BE LIMITED TO TWO (2) MINUTES AGENDA DEADLINE: Thursday, 12 noon, 12 days before the Tuesday Board meetings. April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 4 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 5 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 6 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 7 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 8 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 9 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 10 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 11 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 12 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 13 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 14 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 15 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 16 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 17 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 18 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 19 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 20 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 21 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 22 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 23 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 24 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 25 C.1 To:Housing Authority Bd of Commissioners From:Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority Date:April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Subject:Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards Retroactive to April 1, 2013 RECOMMENDATIONS APPROVE the proposed Housing Choice Voucher payment standards for the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa, retroactive to April 1, 2013. BACKGROUND Last month, in response to the federal government's across the board budget cuts known as sequestration, the Board approved new payment standards effective April 1, 2013 for the housing choice voucher program. This change was made in an attempt to prevent the possibility that HACCC will have to terminate housing assistance to families currently on the voucher program before the end of the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The payment standards were reduced to 90% of the applicable Fair Market Rents (FMRs), the lowest level allowed by HUD without a waiver. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 04/16/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYES NOES ABSENT ABSTAIN RECUSE Contact: 925-957-8011 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: April 16, 2013 Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director By: June McHuen, Deputy 4 2 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 26 cc: April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 27 BACKGROUND (CONT'D) Payment standards are used to calculate the housing assistance payment (HAP), or subsidy, that public housing authorities (PHAs) pay on behalf of families leasing units under the voucher program. Each PHA must establish a schedule of payment standard amounts by bedroom size. The range of possible payment standard amounts is based on HUD’s published FMR schedule for the statistical area within which the PHA has jurisdiction. HACCC’s payment standards are based on the FMRs for the Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR area which includes all of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. FMRs are based on the 40th percentile of rents charged for standard housing in the FMR area. This is the dollar amount below which 40 percent of the standard-quality rental housing units are rented. PHAs may set their payment standards amounts from 90% to 110% of the published FMRs without HUD approval. Payment standards can be set higher or lower than this range in response to market conditions with HUD approval. When calculating payment standards, PHAs do not follow what is known as the common method of rounding where one rounds down if the next digit is less than 5 and up when the next digit is 5 or more. Instead, the 90% level can be thought of as an absolute floor and calculations can only be rounded down to that level and not up. For example, if the FMR is $1,901, a PHA would not be permitted to have a payment standard of $1,710 because that would be 89.95% of the FMR. The PHA's minimum payment standard would have to be $1,711, or 90.01% of the FMR. The process is reversed for payment standards at 110% of the FMR. In that case 110% would serve as a hard ceiling and a PHA could not choose a value that had to be rounded down to 110%. HUD provides zero- to four-bedroom FMRs annually to PHAs in a notice published in the federal register. HUD also provides a formula to use in deriving larger bedroom FMRs. However, unlike payment standards, HUD does not provide guidance on the rounding method that should be used in deriving the value of the five-bedroom or larger FMRs. Because funding levels are so tight this year, HACCC has been in conversations with local HUD staff to provide clarification on the rounding method that should be used for deriving FMRs so that HACCC can shave subsidy levels as close as possible without running afoul of HUD's regulations. Earlier this month local HUD staff clarified that, unlike with the payment standards, HACCC should use the common method of rounding when deriving FMRs. Thus, HACCC will round down if the adjacent value is less than 5 and up when the adjacent value is 5 or more. As a result of this clarification, the FMRs and payment standards for five and six bedroom units should each be increased by $1. The corrected values are shown below. These changes affect approximately 221 families currently on HACCC's voucher program. Local HUD staff said these changes can be retroactive to April 1,2013. The most recently published FMRs for HACCC’s area are as follows: Bedrooms 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 FMR $892 $1,082 $1,361 $1,901 $2,332 $2,682 $3,032 $3,381 The recommended 90% payment standards are as follows: Bedrooms 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PMT STD $803 $974 $1,225 $1,711 $2,099 $2,414 $2.729 $3,043 Also, HUD requires that the FMR used for the rental of a manufactured home space is set at 40% of the 2-BR FMR. This value is $544. HACCC's proposed payment standard for manufactured home space rentals is set at 100% of the FMR, or $544. This is because HACCC has traditionally set this payment standard at 100% of FMR and at this time there are no households that receive the manufactured home space rental payment standard. If this payment standard is needed, staff will analyze whether this level appears to be too high or low based on relevant market data. FISCAL IMPACT Implementation of these payment standards will allow the Housing Authority (HACCC) to save approximately $2.7 million annually by reducing the subsidy each family receives. This will provide funding for approximately 225 vouchers. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION Should the Board of Commissioners not approve the recommended payment standards, HACCC will be more likely to terminate assistance to families currently on the program due to federal funding shortages. April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 28 C.2 To:Housing Authority Bd of Commissioners From:Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority Date:April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Subject:Reduction of Interest Rate in Terms of Agreement for Purchase of 2870 Howe Road RECOMMENDATIONS RECEIVE report regarding the change in terms with Westamerica Bank for the Housing Authority's purchase of the Housing Choice Voucher office, located at 2870 Howe Road, Martinez, CA. BACKGROUND On December 12, 2006 the Board authorized the Executive Director to execute all documents pertaining to the purchase of the Howe Road property for $3,375,000. This building houses the majority of HACCC’s housing choice voucher (Section 8) staff. A purchase agreement was executed on December 15, 2006. The interest rate for the original purchase agreement was fixed at 7.25%. At HACCC’s request this rate was reduced to a fixed rate of 6.75% effective April 28, 2008 and to 6.00% on December 1, 2011 in response to decreased lending rates. Ongoing decreases in lending rates prompted staff to again approach Westamerica Bank about reducing the interest rate of the loan. Effective January 9, 2013, Westamerica reduced the rate to 5.25%. Taken together, these changes in loan terms have reduced annual payments by $43,801.08. The savings will be utilized to either offset costs in the Housing Choice Voucher program or to reduce the remaining loan balance. All other terms of the Purchase Agreement remain the same. A copy of the Change in Terms of Agreement is attached. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 04/16/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYES NOES ABSENT ABSTAIN RECUSE Contact: 925-957-8028 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: April 16, 2013 Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director By: June McHuen, Deputy cc: 4 2 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 29 FISCAL IMPACT The change in terms will result in an annual savings of $21,559.80 compared to the previous loan agreement. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION None. Information item only. April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 30 C.3 To:Housing Authority Bd of Commissioners From:Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority Date:April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Subject:Affordable Housing Issues RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPT articles regarding affordable housing issues. BACKGROUND For the Board’s information only. FISCAL IMPACT This is for informational purposes only and has no fiscal impact. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION None. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 04/16/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYES NOES ABSENT ABSTAIN RECUSE I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: April 16, 2013 Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director By: June McHuen, Deputy 4 2 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 31 Contact: 925-957-8028 cc: April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 32 C.4 To:Housing Authority Bd of Commissioners From:Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority Date:April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Subject:CLAIMS FOR APRIL 16, 2013 RECOMMENDATIONS DENY claim filed by Naja Williams. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 04/16/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYES NOES ABSENT ABSTAIN RECUSE Contact: Tiffany Lennear 925-335-1900 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: April 16, 2013 Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director By: June McHuen, Deputy cc: 4 2 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 33 April 16, 2013 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 34