August 21, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes

Winter Park Housing Authority Board Meeting Minutes
Thursday, August 21, 2023
9:00 AM
Tranquil Terrace
845 Swoope Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789

Commissioners present: Board Chair; Hal George, Vice-Chair; Kenneth Goodwin, Commissioner Tammie Holiday, Commissioner Karen Jacobs, Dawn Ofodile and Commissioner Kevin O'Rawe.
Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Joe Regner,
Staff present: Lashanda Lovette, Executive Director, Melissa Martinez, Accountant and Amaris Hunt, Executive Assistant.

1. Call to Order
   Chair George called the meeting to order at 9:10 AM and announced a quorum.
2. Public Comment
   There was no public comment bought to the board.
3. Consent Items
   There was no consent items.
4. Actions Items -
   1. Discussions and/or Direction -
      1. 2023 - 2024 Fiscal Budget Draft
         • Executive Director Lovette explained that she'd had a conversation with Patty Tilchin. She explained that there is no regulatory requirement for the budget to be passed at the beginning of the fiscal period, October 1st. With that in mind, she suggested that the new management company be given the opportunity to review the budget and weigh in. Executive Director Lovette explained she shared this with Chair George and the NDC, they all agreed. She will provide them with a draft to review and get back with any questions. She stated she would also provide a copy of this draft to the board, so that they may formulate any questions by November. Chair George agreed this was within the best interest of everyone. Vice-Chair Goodwin asked what parameters the management company must follow when it comes to the budget. Executive Director Lovette explained that they would weigh in on what they see is needed since they will be managing the properties, along with the findings from the physical needs assessments. 
      2. Recommendation for Banking Services
         • Executive Director Lovette called the board's attention to the evaluation tabulation included in their board packet which highlights how each bank was tallied based on their submissions. The evaluation committee included herself, Amaris Hunt, executive assistant, Melissa Martinez, accountant, and commissioner Dawn Ofodile. The banks that we received proposals from were Winter Park National, Cogent Bank, TD Bank, Seacoast Bank and Valley Bank. Valey Bank was ranked number one, Seacoast Bank was ranked number two and TD bank was ranked number three. She went on to explain the criteria the banks were rated on. Commissioner Ofodile provided some insight on her decision. Winter Park National and Cogent Bank were smaller banks with less branches, TD bank is a larger national bank. The same goes for the Seacoast and Valley Bank. Overall, Vally Bank showed that it had the most stability. Chair George mentioned that he would've liked to have stayed local but understood the committee's decision. Commissioner Jacobs asked to hear from Melissa. Melissa provided insight based on her accounting experience. Commissioner Jacobs called a motion to approve Valley Bank. Vice-Chair Goodwin seconded the motion. Executive Director Lovette motioned to amend the motion, asking that she would be able to move forward with the second ranked bank, should she face any issues with Valley Bank. Commissioner Jacobs made a motion to approve. Vice-Chair Goodwin seconded her motion. The resolution passed unanimously without further discussion. 
      3. Transition to NDC Effective for 10.01.2023
         • Executive Director Lovette explained the negotiations have been completed and our legal team was able to negotiate language for the indemnification clause that all parties agreed to. NDC has signed the contract and is set to take over October 1st, 2023. We are currently in the process of setting up meetings to talk about the next steps for the transition. Commissioner Jacobs asked who would be with NDC when they do their property walk throughs in September. Executive Director Lovette explained they are doing it themselves for insurance purposes. Chair George asked if there are any problems with the transition. Executive Director Lovette explained there are none. Once NDC received the signed contract, they confirmed they'd moved forward with ordering the software needed to make the transition. Vice-Chair Goodwin asked for clarification on which staff would not work under NDC. Executive Director Lovette explained this would be WPHA staff, which includes herself, Amaris, her assistant, Tarena, the ROSS coordinator, and the project manager position, which is vacant. Commissioner Jacobs asked if we'd be filling the position. Executive Director Lovette explained the position has been offered to Felix Alicea, the current maintenance supervisor, since he'd been filling in for that position. Commissioner Jacobs asked what would happen to the maintenance supervisor position. Executive Director Lovette explained it would be filled by a new hire through NDC. Vice-Chair Goodwin asked who previously held the position and why it was vacant for so long. Executive Director Lovette attempted to shed light on how difficult it is to find applicants with federal procurement experience. Chair George asked if NDC had someone to fill that position. Executive Director Lovette explained that they do not have a procurement department and they do not do federal procurement. Chair George asked who the point of contact would be for the board. Executive Director Lovette explained it would be the regional manager that NDC has hired. There was no further discussion. 
      4. Forensic Investigation Update
         • Executive Director Lovette explained that the investigation started on Monday. We have provided them with all financial documents as requested. She noted that they were highly impressed with Melissa's work and called it impeccable. She will provide an update to the board once received. She went on to mention that she received a call from the Miami HUD OIG office, as Winter Park PD called them regarding possible wire fraud. She has a phone call scheduled at 11 AM today and will update the board after the conversation happens.
5. Reports
   There were no reports.
6. Commissioner's Report
   There were no commissioner reports.
7. New Business
   There was no new business.
8. Adjournment
   With there being no further business to come before the board, Chair George called for adjournment at 9:41 AM

Respectfully Submitted,
Hal George, Board Chair
Lashanda Lovette, Executive Director