HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

10400 Detrick Avenue

Kensington, Maryland  20895

 (240) 773-9025

 

Minutes

March 9, 2005

05 - 03

 

A regular meeting of the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County was conducted on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at 10400 Detrick Avenue, Kensington, Maryland beginning at 7:00 p.m. Those in attendance were:

 

Present

Richard Y. Nelson, Jr., Chair

Y. Monroe Galloway, Chair Pro Tem

Ralph D. Bennett, Jr.

Michael J. Kator

 LaKeyia L. Thompson 

 

Absent

Norman Cohen, Vice Chair

Roberto Piñero

 

Also Attending

D. Scott Minton, Executive Director                                          Ken Tecler

Earl DeMaris                                                                            Annie Alston

Lillian Durham                                                              Bill Murphy                 

Scott Ewart                                                                              Stuart Raynor  

Tedi Osias                                                                                Joy Flood                    

Cornelia Kent                                                                           Peter Engel

Lembit Jogi                                                                               Bonnie Hodge

Tom DeBrine                                                                            Jim Atwell

Gail Willison                                                                             Barbara Peters

Doug Ryan                                                                               Nancy Scull

Rose Matthews                                                                        Bill Anderson   

James Miller                                                                             Willa Reeves

David Brody                                                                             Rose Kennedy

Bryan Luntz                                                                              Susan Yancy

Patrice Birdsong                                                                       Andrew Oxendine       

Dana Miller, Special Assistant to the Commission                     

 

Guests

Michael Briese, Independence Now, Inc.

Corinne Stevens

 

 

 

Chair Nelson convened the meeting of the Housing Opportunities Commission at at 7:34 p.m. He then called for consideration of the Consent Calendar.  The Consent calendar was approved upon a motion by Commissioner Bennett, seconded by Chair Pro Tem Galloway. Affirmative votes were cast by Commissioners Nelson, Thompson, Kator, Bennett, and Galloway. Commissioners Cohen and Piñero were necessarily absent and did not participate in the vote.

 

 

I.          CONSENT CALENDAR

 

                       A.       Approval of Minutes of February 2, 2005 - The minutes were approved as written.

 

B.        Approval of Resolution of Appreciation for Joshua Gaskin –  The following

Resolution was adopted:

 

            RESOLUTION: 05-16                                             RE:       Approval of Resolution of

                                                                                                            Appreciation for

                                                                                                            Joshua Gaskin

 

            WHEREAS,  Joshua Gaskin has been employed with the Housing Opportunities Commission as an Accounting Clerk since June 29, 1998; and

 

 

            WHEREAS,  Joshua Gaskin has served in the Army Reserves for over 18 years as a medical specialist and truck driver; and

 

           

            WHEREAS, Mr. Gaskin was deployed to Iraq and honorably served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from May 15, 2003 through April of 2004; and

 

 

            WHEREAS, the staff of the Housing Opportunities Commission has taken the opportunity on February 15, 2005 to pay tribute to and applaud his contributions to the Agency and recognize his life of service; and

 

            WHEREAS, Mr. Gaskin has brought honor to the Agency; and

 

            WHEREAS, the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County wishes to formally commend Joshua Gaskin for his outstanding service to his country, county and community.

 

            NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to Joshua Gaskin for his bravery, dedication, and long-standing commitment to serving the citizens of Montgomery County; serving and protecting the nation; and dutifully carrying out the missions of our nation to champion freedom throughout the world.

             C.       Approval of Retirement Resolution for Ed McKay - The following Resolution was adopted:

 

            RESOLUTION: 05-17                                             RE:       Approval of Retirement

                                                                                                             Resolution for Ed McKay

 

            WHEREAS, Ed McKay, program specialist, served the Commission since March 1999; and

 

            WHEREAS, Ed designed and produced a wide range of new publications, banners, brochures, and other HOC visual communication products; and

 

            WHEREAS, Ed’s artistry has contributed to increasing public recognition of the work of the Commission; and

 

            WHEREAS, Ed served as a mentor to interns and several HOC residents enrolled in the Employment Initiative Program, helping them develop expertise in the graphic arts profession; and

 

            WHEREAS, Ed set an example for all fellow employees by his willingness to offer assistance to other employees; and

 

            WHEREAS, Ed performed his duties in a highly professional and competent manner which has been a credit to the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs.

 

            NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Housing Opportunities Commission that Ed McKay is hereby recognized and thanked upon his retirement for his contribution to advancing the mission and goals of the Commission. 

 

 

     Mr. McKay’s resolution was read into the record and Chair Nelson presented him with a plaque and a clock from the Commission.

 

II.        INFORMATION EXCHANGE

 

 

A.                 Executive Director’s Report – Mr. Minton added the following to his written report:

 

1)                  Mr. Minton thanked Chief of Staff, Annie Alston and Executive Staff for filling in for him while he was on leave due to illness.

 

2)                  Mr. Minton informed the Commission that the HUD DC Field Office will be undergoing a Quality Management Review from HUD Headquarters and HOC has been invited to be interviewed about the service received from the Field Office.

 

3)                  Mr. Minton informed the Commission of the death of the husband of Diane Harris, Acting Hearing Officer.  Commissioner Nelson asked for her contact information to be forwarded to the Commission.

 

           

B.                 COMMISSIONER EXCHANGE

 

                  Chair Nelson thanked Annie Alston for her work in the absence of the Executive Director.

 

 

C.                 COMMUNITY FORUM

             

 

            Michael Briese of Independence Now, Incorporated addressed the Commission.  His organization advocates on behalf of persons with disabilities.  He stated that Independence Now has partnered with HOC in the past to assist dozens of families in finding affordable and accessible housing in Montgomery County.  He stated that, through this partnership, 30 people have been able to transition from nursing homes to housing in the community. 

 

            Mr. Briese stated that there are currently 188 persons with disabilities (under the age of 65) living in Montgomery County nursing facilities who have expressed a desire to move into the community.  He noted that the lack of affordable and accessible housing is the only barrier to their moving out of the nursing facilities.

 

            Mr. Briese asked the Commission to consider setting aside Housing Choice Vouchers for people with disabilities and he reminded the Commission that over 1/6 of the County’s population are persons with disabilities (140,000 people).

 

            Chair Nelson thanked Mr. Briese for his comments and stated that the Commission would consider his requests.  Commissioner Bennett encouraged Mr. Briese to express the needs of the disabled to State and Federal government officials as well.

 

 

III.       COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

A.                             Budget, Finance and Audit Committee  –

 

Chair Nelson stated that all of the items were approved by the Committee.

 

 

            1.         Approval to Use M&T Bank Line of Credit to Retire Montgomery Homes Limited Partnership (MHLP) III First Mortgage –

 

Earl DeMaris, Chief Financial Officer, and Cornelia Kent, Controller, made a brief presentation.

           

Commissioner Bennett inquired about the timeframe for Bank of America to transfer their interest to HOC.  Bill Murphy, Director of Real Estate, stated that due to Bank of America’s merger with Fleet Bank, no timeframe has been given. 

 

                The resolution was adopted upon a motion by Commissioner Thompson and seconded by Commissioner Bennett.  Affirmative votes were cast by Commissioners Nelson, Thompson, Kator, Bennett, and Galloway. Commissioners Cohen and Piñero were necessarily absent and did not participate in the vote.

 

            RESOLUTION: 05-18                                             RE:       Approval to Use M&T                                                                                                                     Bank Line of Credit to                                                                                                                        Retire Montgomery Homes                                                                                                              Limited Partnership                                                                                                                           (MHLP) III First Mortgage

 

WHEREAS, the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County has approved the budget policies, reflecting its fiduciary responsibility as general partner and management agent; and

   

WHEREAS, the existing mortgage for MHLP III is scheduled to mature on March 31, 2005; and

 

WHEREAS, the limited partner, Bank of America, has not yet finalized their exit strategy; and

 

WHEREAS, it is necessary to use interim financing to retire the mortgage.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, that it hereby approves the use of the M&T Bank line of credit to retire the loan and authorizes the Executive Director to finalize the necessary documentation, including execution and delivery of the required contract, subject to appropriate legal review.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the term of the financing will not exceed two years with an annual interest rate of 60% of Prime or 3.30% (based on a Prime Rate of 5.50% as of February 8, 2005).  In addition, MHLP III will be charged an interest rate of 6.5% for use of the line of credit for the same period to be paid to the General Fund. 

 

 

            2.         Authorization to Increase the Maximum Amount on the Line of Credit with M&T Bank –

 

Earl DeMaris, Chief Financial Officer, and Cornelia Kent, Controller, made a brief presentation.

 

The resolution was adopted upon a motion by Commissioner Bennett and seconded by Commissioner Thompson.  Affirmative votes were cast by Commissioners Nelson, Thompson, Kator, Bennett, and Galloway. Commissioners Cohen and Piñero were necessarily absent and did not participate in the vote.

 

 

            RESOLUTION: 05-19                                               RE:     Authorization to Increase

                                                                                                            the Maximum Amount on

                                                                                                            the Line of Credit with

                                                                                                            M&T Bank

 

WHEREAS, the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) has entered into a Line of Credit Agreement with M&T Bank (formerly Allfirst Bank); and

 

WHEREAS, the Line of Credit Agreement has been amended eleven (11) times previous to this request; and

 

WHEREAS, the amount of the Line of Credit Agreement was increased to $10,000,000 on June 28, 1996; and

 

WHEREAS, HOC has requested increasing the line of credit to $20 million and extending the maturity to June 30, 2007; and

 

WHEREAS, the line of credit facility will provide a $15 million revolving line of credit for interim financing of housing stock and a $5 million working capital line of credit which may also be used for interim financing of housing stock.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, that the Commission approves Amendment No. 12 of the Line of Credit Agreement, increasing the line of credit amount to $20 million and extending the maturity date to June 30, 2007, and authorizes the Executive Director to finalize the necessary documentation, including execution and delivery of the required contract, subject to appropriate legal review.

 

 

            3.         Acceptance of Second Quarter FY’05 Budget to Actual Statements –

 

Earl DeMaris, Chief Financial Officer, and Gail Willison, Budget Officer, made a brief presentation.

 

The resolution was adopted upon a motion by Commissioner Bennett and seconded by Commissioner Thompson.  Affirmative votes were cast by Commissioners Nelson, Thompson, Kator, Bennett, and Galloway. Commissioners Cohen and Piñero were necessarily absent and did not participate in the vote.

 

 

 

 

 

            RESOLUTION: 05-20                                               RE:     Acceptance of Second

                                                                                                            Quarter FY’05 Budget to

                                                                                                            Actual Statements

 

WHEREAS, the budget policy for the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County states that quarterly budget to actual statements will be reviewed by the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee; and

 

WHEREAS, the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee reviewed the Second Quarter FY’05 Budget to Actual Statements during its February 23, 2005