September 19, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes

Winter Park Housing Authority Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
8:00 AM

Tranquil Terrace
845 Swoope Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789

Commissioners Present: Board Chair; Hal George, Commissioner Tammie Holiday, Commissioner Dawn Ofodile, Commissioner Karen Jacobs, and Commissioner Kevin O'Rawe.
Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Joe Regner,
Commissioners Virtual:Vice-Chair; Kenneth Goodwin
Staff Present: LaShanda Lovette, Executive Director, Amaris Hunt, Executive Assistant, Felix Alicea, Procurement/Project Manager and Tarena Grant, Resource Coordinator

1. Call to Order
   
   • Chair George called the meeting to order at 8:00 AM and announced a quorum.
2. Public Comment 
   
   • There was no public comment bought to the board.
3. Consent Items 
   
   1. Approval of July and August Minutes
      Commissioner Jacobs moved to approve the July and August 2023 Board meeting minutes. Commissioner Holiday provided a second. The motion was accepted unanimously.
4. Actions Items
   • Resolution 09192023-A Charge-Off of Uncollectible Debt October 1, 2021, Through March 31, 2023, In the Amount of $192,205.00
     • ED Lovette explained Resolution A is for charge offs for the timeframe of October 1, 2021, through March 31, 2023. In doing her review, she found $19k that was not accounted for on the initial report. It was a combination of either abandonment of the unit or eviction. She went on to explain she is noticing that residents at Tuscany in Aloma are starting to take up the attitude of Public Housing Residents. Commissioner Ofodile asked if we can still send these to collections. ED Lovette confirmed we can still send these to collections. Commissioner Jacobs commented that numbers didn't seem this high when Church was the Regional Manager. ED Lovette explained that units may have been abandoned and the property managers were not aware. Commissioner O'Rawe commented that it could have been worse. Commissioner Ofodile asked if there is any recourse. Ed Lovette explained there may be. Commissioner Jacobs motioned to approve the resolution and Commissioner O'Rawe provided a second. The resolution was accepted unanimously with no further questions.
   • Resolution 09192023-B A Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of Records Custodian(S) Consistent with Chapter 119 Florida Statutes.
     • ED Lovette explained we received a public records request for minutes from April 2023. Due to Sophos quarantine, we never received the message. Due to this, we were served a lawsuit. Gifford has advised that the board pass this resolution to safeguard us from the next wave of lawsuits they anticipate will be filed. One to grant custodian of record and the second the be able to file evictions. Chair George asked who the current custodian of record is. ED Lovette explained that she is, however, is it not formal anywhere. She plans to ensure both herself and her assistant receive public records requests and that they are tracked and responded to promptly. Commissioner Jacobs motioned to approve the resolution and Commissioner O'Rawe provided a second. The resolution was accepted unanimously with no further questions.
   • Resolution 09192023-C Public Entity Resolution for Valley Bank.
     • ED Lovette explained that this resolution is for signers for the new bank accounts that will be opened at Valley Bank. This will be consistent with our current bank, Seaside. Commissioner Jacobs motioned to approve the resolution; Commissioner Holiday provided a second. The motion was accepted unanimously without further discussion.
   • Discussions and/or Direction
   • Transition of Banking Services -
     • Chair George proceeded past this section since the banking transition was discussed in Resolution C. He asked if anyone had anything to add. There was no further comment or discussion.
   • Transition to NDC effective for 10.01.2023
     • ED Lovette explained there is still no plan of action from NDC on the transition scheduled for October 1st. She expressed that she has tried her best to be communicative with them, but she still hasn't received needed details on next steps and how NDC plans to make a smooth transition. Commissioner Ofodile asked who the Regional Manager is. ED Lovette confirmed it is Cindy Wilson of NDC. Commissioner Jacobs asked how the meet and greet went. ED Lovette explained it went well and was an opportunity for the staff to ask questions of NDC. Chair George asked for Cindy's contact details so that he could express his concerns. ED Lovette confirmed she'd share the details with him.
   • Forensic Investigation Update
     • ED Lovette explained that the lead investigator had a family emergency, so the investigation wrapped up had to be rescheduled. She is currently awaiting a response as to when this will be rescheduled. She will follow up with the board once an update is received. Chair George asked if Patti, our fee accountant, was aware. ED Lovette confirmed she was. There was no further discussion.
   • Tuscany Balcony Project
     • Ed Lovette gave a brief recap of the project, which was estimated to be completed by the end of September as of Pay Application #6. Mr. Alicea stated that there may be a slight delay in the completion of the project due to being short end caps and pieces needed to complete the railing portion of the project. Chair George asked for clarification on the shortage. Mr. Alicea explained that we'd done an inventory of the items after the last contractor left the project. He is unsure if the parts were ever delivered or if they were damaged. At this time, they are working with the manufacturer the previous contractor used to ensure we can order the parts that are compatible with the railings we have. He explained that he'd hope to have an update by the next meeting.
5. Reports
   1. Resource Coordinator (ROSS) Monthly Recap
      • Mrs. Grant explained on August 26th, many of our residents answered the call for the assembly of superheroes. Our families at the Meadows joined a team of volunteers and superheroes as they took over the community field for an amazing day of fun and field day activities. We are so grateful for our amazing community partners that made this event a success. We give a special thanks to Advent Health Team & Volunteers, Heroes for Higher and St. John Lutheran Church. To wish our youth at the Meadows a great start of the school year. Meadows staff hosted a Breakfast on the Go, preparing 75 breakfast bags, a big smile, and encouraging words on 08/17. Our partners of Devoted Health hosted a Free Produce Day for residents and saw an amazing turn out. The Plymouth Residents held a Resident Breakfast Club Potluck which was a great success! We served 83 Households with our monthly food pantry; held 5 community partner events and we have secured a new partnership with Silver Sneakers.
   2. Property Overview
      • ED Lovette explained we ended at 97% for the month with Tuscany continuing to be our challenge.
   3. Monthly Financials
      • ED Lovette explained anything over 10%. Other income is high due to CDBG grant money received from the county. Commissioner O'rawe notated that capital expenditures were consistently low. ED Lovette went on to give a brief explanation. She asked if the board saw fit to do a budget workshop with NDC. Chair George agreed that would be beneficial.
6. Commissioner's Report
   1. Chair George announced that we have a new board member, Bob Klettner. He explained he retired from the board of directors for the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and has a financial background. So, he is excited to have him as an asset to the board.
   2. Commissioner O'Rawe said he would like to discuss the new section 8 rules from the FAHRO conference. He believes that this would be a good workshop for the board to have.
   3. Commissioner Ofodile invited everyone to the Vystar grand opening that will take place on Thursday September 21st at 10:30 AM
7. Adjournment

With there being no further business to come before the board, Commissioner Jacobs motioned to adjourn, and commissioner Holiday provided a second. Chair George called adjournment at 9:19 AM

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