MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE MCALLEN HOUSING AUTHORITY REGULAR BOARD MEETING

Thursday, July 30, 2020

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL- The Regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the McAllen Housing Authority was held Thursday, July 30, 2020, via teleconference. Chairman Ronnie Cruz called the meeting to order at 3:04 p.m. Present and attendance for roll call were:

Present:

Chairman, Ronnie Cruz
Vice-Chairman, Eliseo "Tito" Salinas
Commissioner, Elva M. Cerda
Commissioner, Rodrigo "Rudy" Elizondo

Absent:

Finance Director, Joe Garcia
Resident Commissioner, Antonio Cavazos
City Attorney

Staff:

Executive Director, Rodolfo "Rudy" Ramirez
Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado
Executive Coordinator, Elisa De La Rosa
Human Resource Specialist, Micaela Salazar
Assistant Finance Director, Jaime Ayala
Facilities Manager Assistant, Karina Rodriguez
HCV Program Manager, Elena Saucedo

1)      Call Meeting to Order - 3:04PM

2)      Public Comment - No Public Comment

3)      Action Items:

1. Appointment of New and/or Reaffirmed Board of Commissioners to the Housing Authority of the City of McAllen and its Instrumentalities. No Action; No appointment from Mayor Darling.
2. Board of Commissioners Nomination and Appointment of Chairman and Vice- Chairman for the Housing Authority of the City of McAllen and its Instrumentalities. Commissioner Rodrigo "Rudy" Elizondo nominated Mr. Ronnie Cruz to remain as Chairman and Mrs. Elva M. Cerda asVice-Chairwoman; seconded by Commissioner Elva M. Cerda. All approved; motion carried.
3. Discussion and Possible Action to Approve Meeting Minutes of Regular Board Meeting for June 2020. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda addressed minor typos and two items missing on Item 5) Board Agenda Requests for July 2020. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda motioned for approval with noted corrections; seconded by Commissioner Rodrigo "Rudy" Elizondo. All approved; motion carried.
   
   (Vice-Chairman Eliseo "Tito" Salinas joined the meeting.)
   
   
4. Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the FY 2020-2021 McAllen Housing Authority Employee Organizational Chart. Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado, noted that under the itemized employee listing, there was a position missing and there should be a total of 35 employees. Mr. Delgado also noted that the Maintenance Director was being posted due to the entering of Phase 1 of McAHA's 5-year plan. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda recommended that the title of "Administrative Secretary" be reconsidered and changed to "Administrative Assistant". Commissioner Elva M. Cerda motioned for approval with change to appropriate title; seconded by Vice-Chairman Eliseo "Tito" Salinas. All approved; motion carried.
5. Resolution 2020-04 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve Acceptance of additional HUD program waivers due to COVID-19. Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado, noted that staff recommended approval due to the assistance the waivers would provide to residents and staff. Executive Director, Rodolfo "Rudy" Ramirez noted that the waivers expire on December 31, 2020. Commissioner Rodrigo "Rudy" Elizondo motioned for approval, seconded by Vice-Chairman Eliseo "Tito" Salinas. All approved; motion carried.
6. Resolution 2020-05 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve a COVID-19 Preparedness and Recovery Plan. Chairman Ronnie Cruz noted that items in the plan were already being implemented in the office. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda questioned how the plan was being implemented with staff. Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado, confirmed that, after plan is adopted, there is a 60-day timeline to inform and train staff of Recovery Plan. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda motioned for approval; seconded by Vice-Chairman Eliseo "Tito" Salinas. All approved; motion carried.

4)      Non-Action Items:

1. Executive Director Report
   • Update on property damages due to Hurricane Hanna
     No major damage to report. Less than 10 insurance claims through McAHA's insurance carrier, TML. Light poles at Sunset Gardens fell over but were quickly secured for safety purposes. Las Palomas Floor 1 and 2 corridors had water penetration; Brownstone has a resolution that is expected to be done on or before August. There was also water penetration through Las Palomas' windows because of the direction of rain/wind. Water did enter some units and the maintenance department was dispatched to sweep out water. There was no water damage to parking lot but the cedar fence on the south side was tilted over. Preexisting water leaks at administration building, Sunset Gardens, Orchid Place, and Vine Terrace reappeared and are being addressed.
   • List and Discuss Policies
     Commissioner Elva M. Cerda recommended that Executive Director, Rodolfo "Rudy" Ramirez provide the policies in an orderly fashion with most important to be reviewed first. Mr. Ramirez stated that the first policy to be reviewed is the Personnel Policy which is already in a draft form and will be reviewed by Board of Commissioners and Nelrod.
   • Update on Amendments to Public Housing and Section 8 Admin Policies
     Staff is recommending to begin accepting applications online. Notices have been published via The Monitor along with the Public Hearing. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda shared the concern of how many individuals in need of housing will actually have access to complete the application online. Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado, noted that they can request Reasonable Accommodation and complete the application at the administration building if they do not have the tools to complete it online.
   • Retreat Planning
     Due to COVID-19, dates are being considered for a face to face retreat in August/September. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda suggested a Zoom retreat. Chairman Ronnie Cruz expressed he would prefer a face to face retreat but will depend on where things are with COVID-19.
2. Las Palomas
   
   • Property Status Report in Reference to Ongoing Maintenance
     Concerns from general public, tenants, and Commissioners have been addressed. A meeting with property managers was held on July 30th and will meet again in August. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda questioned what the major concerns were. Executive Director, Rodolfo "Rudy" Ramirez, stated that with the building being new, the leaks were a concern. Also, the aesthetics and cleanliness of the property was a major concern. Chairman Ronnie Cruz advised to speak directly with Doak and Jed regarding developments. Commissioner Rodrigo "Rudy" Elizondo agreed that a bulletin board would be a good addition so that tenant notices are posted for all to see. Vice-Chairman Eliseo "Tito" Salinas addressed the tall grass on the property and Mr. Ramirez shared that the property outside of the fence belonged to Wal-Mart so he would notify them of the landscaping.
3. Update on Construction Projects.
   • New Maintenance Building
     Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado, stated that construction is in the preliminary stages. Permits are still at the city, pending issuance. Chairman Ronnie Cruz asked if any change orders had been presented by architect and Executive Director, Rodolfo "Rudy" Ramirez stated that as of July 30th there had been no change orders presented.
   • Learning Center Renovations
     Dry wall and painting are being completed. Completion date is 90 to 120 days from notice to proceed on July 23rd, estimating a November completion date.
4. Update on Hibiscus LIHTC Application. Deputy Director, Daniel Delgado, stated that award letter should arrive soon. The TDHCA Board approved the application in the consent agenda of July 23rd.

5)      Executive Session: Closed Session Under Government Code 551 Sections

1. Update on Pending Litigation - Architectural & Engineering
2. Update on Contract Renewal for Architectural & Engineering
   Chairman Ronnie Cruz entertained a motion to enter Executive Session. Commissioner Elva M. Cerda motioned for approval, seconded by Vice-Chairman Eliseo "Tito" Salinas. All approved; motion carried. Executive Session was entered at 3:53 PM.

6)      Reconvene into Open Session: Action, if any, On:

1. Update on Pending Litigation - Architectural & Engineering
   No Action.

7)      Board Agenda Requests for August 2020 Board Meeting. * Update for new report on an item on the agenda. * Policy. * FSS Update. * RAD Conversion Update

8)      Adjournment. Chairman Ronnie Cruz called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was made by Commissioner Rodrigo "Rudy" Elizondo; seconded by Commissioner Elva M. Cerda. All approved; motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:19PM.

Rodolfo "Rudy" Ramirez, Executive Director

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