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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHousing Catalyst - Minutes - 07/16/2020Minutes Housing Catalyst Regular Board Meeting Thu July 16th, 2020 7:30am - 9:00am MDT Virtual Meeting via Zoom In Attendance Attendees Commissioners: Nicole Staudinger, Cathy Mathis, David Bye, Jennifer Wagner, Hep Wilkins, Emily Gorgol, Ann Green Staff: Julie Brewen, Duane Hopkins, Michele Christensen, Brian Heckart, Traci McGraw, Kim Iwanski Guests: Ryan Warburton, Jacob Carlton, Lindsay Ex Attorney: Jim Martell Call to Order Chairperson Staudinger called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. Citizen Input There was no citizen input. Approval of Minutes From June 18, 2020 Commissioner Mathis requested the minutes be revised to show that she recused herself from the discussion of the Swallow project. Commissioner Wilkins made a motion to approve the minutes from the Housing Catalyst Board of Commissioners meeting on June 16, 2020. Commissioner Green seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Action Items a. Resolution 20-07 Bond Inducement for Oak 140 Ryan Warburton, Housing Catalyst’s bond and tax credit attorney from Gilmore Bell, presented Resolution 20-07 Approval of Inducement of Private Activity Bonds for Oak 140, and Resolution 20-08 Creation of Oak 140 Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and Oak 140 Limited Liability Limited Partnership (LLLP.) Commissioner Bye asked for a correction to a grammatical error which Mr.Warburton agreed to make. Housing Catalyst general counsel, James Martell., explained these legal agreements between the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Housing Catalyst from the perspective of the roles and responsibilities of each entity going forward. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to approve both Resolution 20-07 and Resolution 20-08. Commissioner Bye seconded and the motion passed unanimously. b. Resolution 20-08 Formation of Entities for Oak 140 c. Resolution 20-09 Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan Changes Chief Operating Officer Michele Christensen explained that Housing Catalyst received additional Mainstream Voucher funding through the CARES Act. Eligibility includes non-elderly people with a disability who are experiencing homelessness. These Administrative Plan changes will: Create a preference for up to 24 vouchers for people with underlying health conditions and would be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Create a “move-on” preference for people living in supportive housing. This allows residents who no longer need high level of services to move on with a rental assistance. Up to five vouchers annually will be used for this purpose. Allow Housing Catalyst to continue to accept referrals from the Continuum of Care when the waitlist is closed. Commissioner Wilkins made a motion to approve Resolution 20-09. Commissioner Mathis seconded and the motion passed unanimously. d. Resolution 20-10 Retirement Plan Change in Retirement Age Chief Financial Officer Duane Hopkins presented the resolution to change the retirement age within the current employee retirement plan to 55 years of age. Commissioner Green made a motion to approve Resolution 20-10. Commissioner Wilkins seconded and the motion passed unanimously. e. Resolution 20-11 Retirement Plan Loan Policy Change Mr. Hopkins presented the resolution to change the policy for employee loans against their retirement program funds to allow only one loan to be outstanding at any given time. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to approve Resolution 20-11. Commissioner Wilkins seconded and the motion passed unanimously. f. Resolution 20-12 Housing Catalyst Line of Credit Annual Renewal Mr. Hopkins presented the resolution for renewal of a $2 million unsecured line of credit with First Bank of Northern Colorado. Commissioner Wilkins made a motion to approve Resolution 20-12. Commissioner Green seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Chairperson Staudinger noted that the signature on the resolution needs to be changed from her name to another officer since she is employed by First Bank of Northern Colorado. Staff Updates a. General COVID Updates Ms. Brewen provided an update on business operations during COVID. Housing Catalyst is continuing to minimize the number of people in any one office while also providing the same level of customer service and business operations. Maintenance technicians are completing routine and emergency work orders while also preparing for maintenance needs for the rest of the year. Housing Catalyst is using CARES Act funding to provide hardware for remote capabilities. Property managers are working on-site and are reaching out to residents. Housing Catalyst staff are working on behalf of families to access emergency rent assistance from the Division of Housing if they have had a loss of income due to COVID. Leadership staff are assessing employee needs due to school district remote learning plans. Ms. Brewen provided a development update. Mason Place is progressing on time and on budget and will start leasing in December. Oak 140 and Swallow Road projects are moving along as scheduled. The rehab of Myrtle SRO was put on hold in March due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Staff are now evaluating when project can resume. Staff has submitted pre-application drafts of the Fort Collins Public Housing and Wellington Public Housing Section 18 disposition requests to HUD. Housing Catalyst received formal clearance of the Uniform Relocation Act for Village on Shields. b. Finance Update – Covid Rent Collections Mr. Hopkins provided a review of the rent receipt trends since March 2020. Mr. Hopkins provided an update on the status of the 2019 audit reports. The Housing Catalyst Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which includes the annual audit report, is expected to be completed by month-end. Mr. Hopkins reported that a request for proposals has been issued for audit firms. Responses are due by month- end. c. Development Update Ms. Brewen provided a development update. Mason Place is progressing on time and on budget and will start leasing in December. Oak 140 and Swallow Road projects are moving along as scheduled. The rehab of Myrtle SRO was put on hold in March due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Staff are now evaluating when project can resume. Staff has submitted pre-application drafts of the Fort Collins Public Housing and Wellington Public Housing Section 18 disposition requests to HUD. Housing Catalyst received formal clearance of the Uniform Relocation Act for Village on Shields. Discussion Items There were no discussion items. Legislative Issues/Updates a. Colorado Legislative Update Julie Brewen will send the Board members a recent Colorado legislative update. b. National Legislative Update Mr. Hopkins said on the national front everything is waiting for the approval of the most recent COVID relief legislation. The 2021 budget looks positive so far with an expansion of the CDBG program and a more robust 2021 HUD budget. The LIHTC reform bill is not moving forward. c. Fort Collins City Council Legislative and Business Update Commissioner Gorgol provided a City Council update. City Council is considering changes to mobile home parks that will provide the opportunity for residents to purchase the park. City Council is looking at two options for mobile home park districts. The Metro Districts discussion has been put on hold for six months. Council is forming an ad hoc committee to work on the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan through December. The City budget process is beginning for 2021. Legal Issues Jim Martell reported that Housing Catalyst’s response to a recent fair housing complaint to the Colorado Civil Rights Division was submitted but a determination has not been made by that entity. Mr. Martell reported the status of a former employee from seven years ago who recently violated current Housing Catalyst employee’s protection order against him. Other Business/Upcoming Events The NAHRO summer conference will be held virtually. Commissioners were asked to contact Kim Iwanski if they needed assistance with registration. Adjournment- Next Meeting Date Chairperson Staudinger adjourned the meeting at 8:48 a.m.