Meeting Details

Meeting Name: HOUSING AUTHORITY Agenda status: Final
Meeting date/time: 3/25/2026 4:00 PM Minutes status: Final  
Meeting location: Hillside Family Resource Center 1452 N. Seventh St., Milwaukee, WI
Published agenda: Agenda Agenda Published minutes: Minutes Minutes  
Meeting video: eComment: Not available  
Attachments:
File #Ver.Agenda #TypeTitleActionResultTallyAction DetailsVideo
     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.    Not available
     Call to Order

Minutes note: Meeting called to order at 4:16 p.m.		    Not available
     Roll Call    Roll call Not available
   A. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA    Not available
     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.)    Not available
R13743 01MotionApproval of the minutes of the Special Board meeting held on February 17, 2026APPROVEDPass7:0 Action details Not available
R13744 02.MotionApproval of the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on February 18, 2026APPROVEDPass7:0 Action details Not available
   B. REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS    Not available
R13746 01.CommunicationPublic Listening Session The Listening Session is an opportunity for the public to provide input to the Board; for the Board to receive that information for their consideration. Persons who wish to comment may do so in person, via eComment on the internet, and via mail. Those wishing to speak in person should register in person at the meeting and will be called in the order in which they signed up. As a courtesy to others and to ensure the widest breadth of input, all speakers will be limited to speak for two minutes. Those wishing to provide written comment in person may provide the comments to the staffer who is also registering speakers, and those comments will be shared with the Board of Commissioners. Those wishing to provide written comment via mail should send their correspondence to: Attention Public Comment, Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, P.O. Box 324, Milwaukee WI 53201-0324. In order to be included in this meeting, all written comments for this meeting must be received two days before the meeting. If any comments are received after that date, they

Minutes note: Two interested persons signed up to provide a two-minute comment during the general Public Listening Session. Ms. Sherina Venable – Section 8 Participant: Stated she is saddened by the turn the Rent Assistance Program has taken – from bad to worse. She continued that the online recertification process is not working as well as when participants were able to come into the office and meet face-to-face with a person. Then, information was entered correctly. Now, the information is riddled with inaccuracies. Ms. Venable expanded by explaining that her property manager received four separate leases with different rent amounts. She stated she had to visit the Rent Assistance office five times this year to get a correct lease. In addition, the staff and supervisors are unresponsive to emails. Ms. Tanika Ogsley – Section 8 Participant: Shared that since 2023, she has been a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher participant. Ms. Ogsley states she has had five to six different case workers since porting into the Milwaukee program. The first year in Milwaukee, the rent increased $800 and now she is being told that her household is over the program income limit. Ms. Ogsley stated she and her son work part-time jobs and their wages combined do not reach the Rent Assistance Program income limit. Also, she would like better options for housing – the house she is in currently needs major repairs that the landlord won’t perform. 		    Action details Not available
R13747 02.CommunicationPresentation of a Summary of HACM’s Public Housing Capital Fund Program

Minutes note: Alison Woznicki, Travaux’s Vice President of Construction, presented the Capital Funds Program (CFP) Budgets document included with the agenda. Vice Chair Gotzler, asked Ms. Woznicki to give a brief summary of the Capital Fund Program. Ms. Woznicki explained that the funds are given annually to the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) by the federal government to improve the Public Housing building stock. The amount given each year fluctuates and is based on a dollar value given for each Public Housing unit HACM has in its Public Housing portfolio. She further explained that the funds can only be used for modernization projects of Public Housing properties or on items such as appliances and hardware for those buildings and must be related to the activities in HACM’s CFP request to HUD. Commissioners asked questions about how funds are allotted for operation and administration fees, if the prior year’s funds must be expended fully before the current funds can be utilized, and for detailed examples of items and projects the funds were spent on. 		    Action details Not available
R13748 03.CommunicationPresentation of the February documents from the Travaux Board Meeting

Minutes note: Ken Barbeau, HACM’s Interim Secretary-Executive Director, highlighted the Travaux Vision, Mission, Lines of Business and Purposes document included with the agenda. He stated the overview was derived from excerpts of Travaux’s founding documents and may be of interest to Commissioners seeking to learn more about the history of Travaux and its purpose. Mr. Barbeau introduced Alison Woznicki, Travaux’s Vice President of Construction, to provide an update on the Highland Gardens modernization project that garnered a detailed discussion by Directors at the February Travaux Board meeting. Ms. Woznicki reported that the Highland Gardens project was initiated to modernize the existing elevators – one in each tower – but this work was not able to be completed without adding two elevators, one to each tower, as the existing elevators could not be taken out of commission to be worked on without having another elevator for the residents to use. The new elevators have been installed, but it has been discovered that there is an issue with the transfer switch that maintains power to the elevators, should power be lost at the development. In order to repair the transfer switch, a complete power shutdown of the property is necessary for four to six hours, which will turn off the heat source for the building and affect residents with electrical medical equipment. Complete shutdowns have been performed during projects in the past; detailed planning and coordination with residents takes place before it is carried out. Travaux has been waiting for better weather to complete the shutdown to repair the transfer switch, thereby enabling the new elevators to be signed off and begin service while the existing elevators are updated. 		    Action details Not available
R13749 04.CommunicationFinancial Update

Minutes note: Ken Barbeau, HACM’s Interim Secretary-Executive Director, spotlighted the Independent Auditor’s Report contained within the Financial Statements – 2023 HACM Audit document included with the agenda as an important part of the audit to review. He explained that the disclaimers on the 2023 audit are similar to the 2022 audit because the same controls were previously in place, so many of the same issues are found in both financial statements. While HACM continues its search for a Chief Financial Officer, BDO, a Milwaukee-based accounting firm, has been retained and asked to review the current cash management policies and to provide recommendations. Vice Chair Gotzler suggested waiting until the 2024 audit is completed to request the Auditors attend a future Board meeting to answer Commissioners’ questions. 		    Action details Not available
R13750 05.CommunicationReport from the Secretary-Executive Director

Minutes note: Marlon Davis, HACM’s Chief of Public Safety, summarized the Analytics and Initiatives Report included with the agenda. He reported that the department’s continued emphasis on being proactive in resident operations, early interventions with external and internal partners, engagement and timely responses to resident complaints, is having an impact. There has been a decrease in calls for service from residents and staff. Chief Davis shared that the engagement with the Resident Organizations (RO) has resulted in Public Safety becoming more aware of what residents in those developments feel are life, safety, and security issues. The information is logged, then discussed at daily Public Safety briefings and acted on by reaching out to the leaders of the departments that can address the concerns and by following up with the RO leaders. Chair Hayslett inquired about proactive planning for warmer weather and its uptick in activity, the cost-saving measures the department has been making and collaboration efforts being made between Public Safety and Property management regarding camera security. Tracey Sheffield, Senior Vice President at CVR Associates, and Michael Tonovitz, Co-President at CVR, summarized the CVR Monthly Report included with the agenda. Ms. Sheffield stated that, month over month, for the past year, there has been an improvement in the number of calls received by clients. She highlighted the Call Center and Customer Service portion of the monthly report, noting that in January of 2025, there were 5,900 calls over that month and, in January of 2026, the number was reduced to 4,700. Ms. Sheffield proceeded with the Continued Occupancy portion of the monthly report noting that CVR continues to see gradual progress in the reduction of the recertification backlog. The current focus is on resolving discrepancies, ensuring compliance with program requirements and correcting situations where families were negatively impacted by prior errors. At the end of December 2025, there were 1,279 backlogged recertifications to complete, and in January 2026, that number was reduced to 871. Mr. Tonovitz reported on payment abatements, stating that HACM had a policy in place requiring an automatic stay of payment to the landlord if a recertification was late by three months or more. Now that the late recertifications have been reduced to a more manageable number of 871, CVR requested that the system setting be lifted. Beyond the late recertifications, there are some other reasons a landlord may have their rent payments abated. For instance, if the unit initially fails HUD’s National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) and the corrections are not made promptly, this will result in rent being abated. Additionally, there has been an uptick of fraudulent requests for changes of ownership. In response, CVR is performing additional due diligence in verifying the requests before payments are made to the new owner. Chair Hayslett asked for a list of the properties where families are not recertifying, she encouraged collaboration between CVR and HACM Property Management, and she inquired about tenants of rent-abated landlords and the ways they are being assisted. Ken Barbeau, HACM’s Acting Secretary-Executive Director, summarized the Sustainability Plan Update document included with the agenda. He reported that there were not many changes to the plan since the last meeting in January, but that this updated version was submitted to HUD at the end of February. Mr. Barbeau segued into upcoming items that will be coming before the Board, stating that the amended Capital Funds Program will soon be ready for the 45-day Public Notice and the approval process. Vice Chair Gotzler asked questions about the Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) score, how it affects the Corrective Action Plan and HACM’s standing with HUD and when the next SEMAP review would be. 		    Action details Not available
     Adjournment

Minutes note: There being no further business, Commissioner Moore made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:44 p.m. Commissioner Nelson seconded the motion. There being no objections, the motion carried. Minutes prepared by: T. Larson and Patricia Dee		    Not available
     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 at 286-5824, (FAX) 286-0833, (TDD) 286-3504 or by writing to the Coordinator at PO Box 324, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0324.    Not available
     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.    Not available
     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.    Not available