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Meeting date/time:
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9/11/2024
3:00 PM
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Minutes status:
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Final
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Meeting location:
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City Hall, Room 301-A, 200 East Wells St.
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| | | | The mission of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) is to foster strong, resilient and inclusive communities by providing a continuum of high-quality housing options that support self-sufficiency, good quality of life, and the opportunity to thrive. | | | |
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| | | | Call to Order
Minutes note: Meeting called to order at 3:07 p.m. | | | |
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| | | | Roll Call | | | |
Roll call
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| | A. | | APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA | | | |
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| | | | CONSENT AGENDA – ITEMS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL
(All items listed under the Consent Agenda will be enacted by one motion unless a Commissioner requires otherwise, in which event, the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately.) | | | |
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R13499
| 0 | 1. | Motion | Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting held on August 14, 2024 | APPROVED | Pass | 3:0 |
Action details
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| | B. | | REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS | | | |
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R13500
| 0 | 1. | Communication | Public Hearing for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s Public Housing Authority (PHA) Five-Year Plan for the period 2025-2029, the 2025 PHA Annual Plan, the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP), the Section 8 Administrative Plan, and all other associated documents for the purpose of receiving comments as required by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Minutes note: Patricia Dee, HACM’s Administrative Services Supervisor, introduced the items and provided an overview of the public hearing process, stating that staff will provide some explanatory information, Commissioners would be able to ask the staff questions and then members of the public would each be given two minutes to speak about the plan.
Ken Barbeau, HACM’s Chief Operating Officer of Program Services, delivered a brief overview of the purpose of each document subject to the hearing. He stated that drafts of the PHA Five-Year Plan and PHA Annual Plan were provided to the Resident Advisory Board (RAB) at their July 25th and July 26th, 2024, meetings and that the RAB has provided feedback and recommendations which are detailed in an attachment to the plan.
He explained that to simplify and make it easier to read, the previous plan’s goals were updated and streamlined into six main goals with objectives in the 2025 -2029 Five-Year Plan. Those six goals include optimizing HACM’s organizational structure, processes and procedures to attain long-term sustainability; maintaining optimal occupancy rates and improving HACM’s Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) score; maintaining optimal utilization rates for the Housing Choice Voucher Program and improving the Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) score; enhancing housing quality, safety and security; preserving and improving existing affordable housing resources and opportunities with tools such as the RAD Program, Section 18 Disposition and others; and continuing to implement programming and collaboration to achieve self-sufficiency for residents.
The PHA Annual Plan has changes for items that need to be updated every year, such as the status of the waitlist and what financial resources are expected for the year. Also, the plan was updated to reflect the most recent audit results. Updates to language were added to the Security and Safety section and to the Dispositions and Demolition requests.
Commissioner Luckett made a motion to open the public hearing for the purpose of receiving comments as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the Public Housing Authority (PHA) Five-Year Plan for the period 2025 – 2029, the 2025 PHA Annual Plan, the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP), the Section 8 Administrative Plan and all other associated documents. Commissioner VandeBerg seconded the motion, and it carried.
Over twenty interested persons provided a two-minute comment during the public hearing. A summary of each person’s comment follows. Additionally, a longer version of the public comments received during the public hearing and a staff response to those comments will be included within the submission of the Five-year PHA Plan and the Annual PHA Plan, per HUD. That document, including the public comments and staff response, and another document, which is a transcription of the public hearing, will also be separately posted this year on the HACM website, hacm.org.
Ms. Logan – Resident Organization President, Mitchell Court: Requested there be more communication between residents and leadership, more leadership and staff accountability, an improvement to staff culture and that Commissioners take a tour of the buildings.
Ms. Moore – College Court: Commented that the plan does not address the building unit entrances and bathroom doorways not being ADA Accessible and requested that the Commissioners take a tour of the building.
Minister Harrell – Lapham Park: Said that the Five-year Plan does not address executive & staff accountability, nor performance reviews of senior leadership. He requested that the Resident Organization be allowed the use of the building intercom and that a resident be appointed to the Board.
Mr. Meyer – 40/40 Member, Common Ground: Commented on his concern for the timely use of funds meant to address resident concerns and to keep the buildings clean, and that in the Five-Year Plan, only two out of five maintenance workers have been hired with the $250K given by the City – asking when will HACM hire the rest and is there a timeline?
Ms. Jones – RO Treasurer Lapham Park: Invited HACM leadership to come see what is happening in her building because the property is uninhabitable due to rats, roaches, bed bugs, and drugs being sold in the building, and security is not helping.
Ms. Aranda – RO Sgt-At-Arms, Becher Court: Stated residents don’t have access to the community kitchen, there is non-functioning gym equipment, systemic plumbing issues throughout the building, washing machines destroy clothes, there are bed bugs, drain flies and rats around the building, there are security issues with people knocking on doors in the early morning and building cameras are not working. She requested a follow-up with Mr. Hines.
Ms. Drake-Jones of Common Ground on behalf of Ms. Lawrence-Gilliam – Lamb of God: Commented that people do not look at the real conditions of the building when doing inspections. She asked how the Board will make sure inspections happen properly and then check the progress and quality of those inspections.
Ms. Valley – Lincoln Court: Said that there are no security dollars in the Five-Year Plan but the cameras in the building are not working and people are doing drugs in the parking lot. It takes a long time for violent residents to be evicted and they still are getting back into the building – more security is needed.
Ms. Eagle – College Court: Commented that four years ago, HACM said it would hire social workers, but, instead they were eliminated. She would like to see more security.
Ms. Holloway – College Court: Stated that she is an 18-year resident and now the bed bugs make her apartment uninhabitable and she is not able to sleep. When will HACM address the issue?
Ms. Ritchey – Common Ground: Questioned why HACM is hiring a for-profit third party to conduct a review of all Section 8 participant files, will HACM publicize the results and how much money has been paid to Nan McKay, in total, over the last 5 years.
Ms. Leigh – County Commission for Person with Disabilities & Common Ground: Stated she thinks it is important that there be someone on the Board who has a disability so there is someone with personal experience to see what needs to be done to make units accessible. She wants to look at the Five-Year Plan and address specifics.
Mr. Washko – Jim Luther New Hope Center: Remarked that good customer service requires dialogue and that a structure for dialogue is needed, and proffered his assistance to help HACM find models that will work to address that concern.
Ms. Tate - Hillside: Shared that residents are having a problem with rats, prostitution, and homeless people in the trash and in the basement doing drugs. She has placed numerous work orders to fix things in the apartment, but nothing is getting done and is fixing the stuff herself.
Ms. Barnes – Hillside: Expressed concern about her grandkids playing outside because there is a steel pipe coming out from the ground, the jungle gym has loose bars, the rats come dangerously close to people and there are homeless people doing drugs in the basement.
Ms. Glustott – Common Ground: Pointed out that the Five-Year Plan does not discuss the progress HACM has made on the HUD Quality Assurance Division Audit and that HUD reported HACM only closed 2 of 38 findings, which is 5% and asked if 5% progress was acceptable to the Board.
Ms. Walker – Common Ground: Asked if HACM would commit to having all future Board meetings in person, reflect the change in the bylaws, change the definition of a quorum, and would Commissioners take a tour of the buildings with residents who can show where there are problems.
Ms. Binns – College Court: Questioned why HACM needs consultants, who is Nan McKay and what is HACM doing about residents being mistreated, misrepresented, and mismanaged.
Mr. Chernow – Common Ground: Shared that he is a Veteran and is concerned about VA money going into the Victory Manor project - what has HACM done to identify and fix the issues with the heat and air conditioning in the units?
Mr. Sawyer – RAB, Highland Gardens: Stated he previously asked for the removal of the $1 million reporting limit where things under that amount do not need to be reported, requested all Resident Organizations get $10,000 and accounting software, and that people inspecting apartments wear footies to prevent the spread of bed bugs.
Ms. Stanley – Common Ground: Inquired about the number of candidates evaluated for the Section 8 RFP, who was part of the evaluation team, how the Board will evaluate the recommendation, who will hold the third party accountable, how soon will a decision be made and will there be a public meeting?
Ms. Cooper – Hillside Tower: Asked if there is money in the Five-Year Plan to have the building rehabbed because the boiler is so old it’s causing fires, the radiator heat is not safe for children. Also, there is a rat issue because there are five garbage bins for ten units, and the garbage bins in the basement are never cleaned and causing a health issue.
Ms. Newton – RO President, Becher Court: Requested a formal response for everything she asks: How much money is left over in the last Five-Year Plan, if there is money left over, why aren’t some of the issues being addressed like the chronic bed bug issue, and requested a report of all of the cameras in her building detailing the ones that are working and not working. HACM is supposed to have two residents on the Board of Commissioners – there is only one. HACM staff needs to be held accountable and to tour our buildings – I want to be able to speak with Mr. Hines about our issues.
After questions and comments, Commissioner Luckett moved to close the public hearing on the 2025 – 2029 Five-Year PHA Plan and 2025 Annual PHA Plan and all other associated documents. Commissioner VandeBerg seconded the motion, and it carried.
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Action details
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R13501
| 0 | 2. | Communication | Public Hearing on the proposed significant amendment to the Capital Fund Program (CFP) Five-Year Action Plan for the period 2023 to 2027 for the purpose of receiving comments as required by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Minutes note: Patricia Dee, HACM’s Administrative Services Supervisor, introduced the item, explaining that the Capital Fund Program (CFP) Five Year Action Plan delineates the budget breakdown for major work categories by public housing development or area. The significant amendment includes changes and additions to the list of work categories to address prioritized capital needs throughout the public housing system.
Fernando Aniban, HACM’s Assistant Secretary, provided explanatory information regarding the amendment. The current 2023 – 2027 Five-Year Action Plan was initially reviewed by the Resident Advisory Board and open for public comment in 2022. It was approved by the HACM Board of Commissioners on October 12, 2022 and then submitted to and approved by HUD. He explained that HUD does not allow a Public Housing Authority to spend funds on work items that are not identified and approved in the Five-Year Action Plan. The significant amendment was made to support the operational needs of workorders within the public housing developments, which can include repairs to family units and highrises, elevator modernization, rehabilitation of units placed under long-term vacancy status, safety-related equipment and pest control.
Ken Barbeau, HACM’s Chief Operating Officer – Program Services, provided an overview of the Resident Advisory Board (RAB) feedback from their review of the CFP Five-Year Action Plan for the period 2023 to 2027. He stated there were three major clarifications requested by RAB. The first was whether the funding had already been received or if HACM would be applying to HUD to receive the funds. He answered that HUD gives the funding to PHAs annually. The second clarification was whether the RAB would receive a copy of the budget in addition to the Five-Year Action Plan. HACM is distributing copies to each housing development’s Resident Organization (RO) leadership and will respond to any questions the RO’s have on the budget. The third question raised by the RAB was whether the money for 2025 – 2027 had been received by HACM from HUD. Mr. Barbeau explained that those funds had not been received and that HUD allocates the funds with their fiscal year.
Commissioner Luckett made a motion to open the public hearing for the purpose of receiving comments as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the proposed significant amendment to the CFP Five-Year Action Plan for the period 2023 to 2027. Commissioner VandeBerg seconded the motion, and it carried.
Three interested persons provided a two-minute comment during the public hearing. A summary of each person’s comment follows. Additionally, a longer version of the public comments received during the public hearing and a staff response to those comments will be included within the submission of the proposed significant amendment to the CFP Five-Year Action Plan for the period 2023 to 2027, per HUD. That document, including the public comments and staff response, and another document, which is a transcription of the public hearing, will also be separately posted this year on the HACM website, hacm.org.
Mr. Sawyer – RAB, Highland Gardens: Commented that HACM is paying Section 3 workers significantly less than the federally listed median incomes - HACM needs to increase pay and make it a standard to pay no lower than $3,000 to $4,000 below median income, the plan is too waitlist-oriented when there is a mandatory 80% retention rate, and there should be a third party put in place to receive complaints.
Ms. Bell – College Court: Stated her apartment is not accessible for people with disabilities, there is a serious bed bug issue even after having the apartment treated. HACM doesn’t know how to show respect to their residents and is putting band-aids on the problems and saying they are fixed.
Mr. Solomon – Common Ground: Inquired if the Board knew the financial net position of the Housing Authority, how and when will the Board hold Mr. Hines accountable and do a performance review. He is concerned because Commissioners are not asking questions, and he would like to see more dialogue and public opportunity for comment.
After questions and comments, Commissioner Luckett moved to close the public hearing on the significant amendment to the CFP Five-year Plan for the period 2023 to 2027. Commissioner VandeBerg seconded the motion, and it carried.
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Action details
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R13502
| 0 | 3. | Communication | Report from the Secretary-Executive Director
Minutes note: Due to time constraints, Willie L. Hines, Jr., HACM’s Secretary-Executive Director, deferred the presentation of the documents included within the Secretary-Executive Director’s report. | | | |
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| | 4. | | The Board may receive a motion to convene in closed session pursuant to Section 19.85(1) (g) Wis. Stats. to confer with a representative of legal counsel who will render oral or written advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the Board with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved. The Board may then reconvene in open session concerning any such item following the Closed Session, however, it is expected that the Board will adjourn the meeting in the Closed Session
Minutes note: Due to time constraints, it was agreed to defer the Closed Session. | | | |
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| | | | Adjournment
Minutes note: There being no further business, Commissioner Luckett made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:31 p.m. Vice Chair VandeBerg seconded the motion. There being no objections, the motion carried. | | | |
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| | | | Upon reasonable notice, efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities through sign language interpreters or auxiliary aids. For additional information or to request this service, contact the Housing Authority ADA Coordinator, Marquetta Treadway at 286-5100, (FAX) 286-3456, (TDD) 286-3504 or by writing to the Coordinator at 650 West Reservoir, Milwaukee, WI 53212. | | | |
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| | | | Persons engaged in lobbying as defined in s. 305-43-4 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances are required to register with the City Clerk's Office License Division. Registered lobbyists appearing before a Common Council committee are required to identify themselves as such. More information is available at http://city.milwaukee.gov/Lobbying. | | | |
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| | | | Be hereby notified that three (3) members of the Crucible, Inc. Board of Directors may be present at the meeting of the HACM Board of Commissioners, as some members serve on both boards. While a quorum of the Crucible, Inc. Board may be present at the HACM meeting, they will not exercise the responsibilities, authority, or duties vested in the Crucible, Inc. Board of Directors. | | | |
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