Louisville Housing Authority Agenda and Packet 2012 04 09

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In Boulder County, there are the County Commissioners. We would want Louisville to have a place at the advisory board table. BCHA right now subsidizes LHA in the administration of our properties. They are losing money managing our properties. There will probably be some public sentiment against this simply because LHA was developed in the 1970s. It's done a good job. Kelly said that the citizens need to be made aware that we are not actually running our properties. BCHA staff is managing every property. Ernie said that if we don't act, we will be left to our own devices to handle certain things. If we don't do this, the agreement will have to be redefined. Frank said you also have an aging portfolio that has to be managed. This is the first multi year fiscal strategy that we've had for the LHA units. Clearly all the properties we have in Louisville, most of them you are going to keep and want for the long term. We need to have them invested in and brought up to a standard that will continue on for another 15 -20 years. Steve said you should, consider opportunities to achieve operating efficiencies. He thinks there is a degree of risk that the city carries, because the housing authority is an ordinance of the city. There are liabilities associated; longer term management issues that, if the county changes, the City could be asked to step up. It's not the long term basis on which you ought to operate a business. Housing is a service and a business. Jay said that as board members today, if there is consensus that this is something you want to look at, to pursue this further, that there be a resolution brought back to the LHA at the next meeting that says that we support the merger of LHA and BCHA and support City Council to pursue that and include requirements. He mentioned that there should be a minimum number of units in Louisville with preference given to residents, or immediate family of residents, of the City of Louisville. He recommends that we develop an agreement and then go to an outside mediator familiar with public housing for discussion. He believes that the Louisville properties have value. How we are compensated for that property is the big question. Jay said there is a fiduciary responsibly to Louisville not to just sign it away. If this is something to move forward on, BCHA will need to have appraisals on all the properties. Franks said that the fundamental principal discussion is that we are trying to better achieve the mission that we have. We are all operating in a different environment. Providing services to poor and low income folks right now is a challenging business. We have been able to utilize the expertise of our Human Services Department to assist in our services and housing units. If we look realistically at federal funding, the future is a continued pressure to be much more efficient and continue operating at a really high level of fiscal expertise. How are we going to get the mission to a better level? If not, then let's not do it. Is this going to get us to that greater mission? What's required to have everybody comfortable going forward. We are doing our due diligence to get further to the outcome that we want. Vulnerabilities are exposing themselves but they are not manifest. We are not in a crisis mode. This is a good position to be in. 5