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Harrington moves to reactivate housing authority, appoints two members
Summary
The commission discussed reconstituting the Harrington Housing Authority to provide HUD-compliant governance of Golden Age Apartments and appointed two new members to the board.
The Harrington City Commission discussed efforts to reactivate the Harrington Housing Authority and voted to appoint Isabel Martinez and Patty Evans to open terms on the housing authority board.
City Manager Brad Motti told commissioners the housing authority has not held a full regular meeting since March 2024 and that staff and an appointee, Rhonda Rice, have been working to recruit members and review the authority’s responsibilities. “They need essentially a functional board. So it's really pretty critical that we get this going again,” Motti said.
Motti said the housing authority has direct oversight of Golden Age Apartments and that Harrington Heights is managed under a long-term lease and contract with an outside manager; the immediate focus is restoring a functional board for Golden Age. Commissioners said they want the housing authority to conduct regular meetings, to transmit the housing authority’s approved minutes for inclusion in the city consent agenda, and to return updates to the commission on a quarterly or as-needed basis.
Two separate motions placed individuals on the housing authority: Isabel Martinez was appointed to the next available expiring term, and Patty Evans was appointed to another open term. Both motions were seconded and approved by the commission. Current board members identified in discussion included Brandy Sinsmeier and Rhonda Rice; commissioners said they need two additional members to reach a full board and urged staff to continue recruitment.
Staff and commissioners also raised legal and liability questions about maintaining compliance with HUD and ensuring the authority has the governance required for the properties under its purview; Motti said staff will continue researching legal responsibilities and return with more details. The commission did not change the composition rules for the board at this meeting but asked staff to provide further information on terms and to forward housing authority minutes to the commission when available.
