Executive director reports REAC submission, SEMAP indicators; board approves consultant funding and sets public hearing for Section 8 plan

Executive Director Theresa reported to the Petro Village Community Development Agency on March 6 that the authority submitted its unaudited 2024 report to REAC and is completing its Section 8 management assessment program (SEMAP) self-evaluation.

Theresa said the authority closed its books for 2024 and filed the REAC submission: "our unaudited submission for 2024 is in the system," she said. The board reviewed SEMAP indicators including HQS inspections, pre-contract HQS, annual recertifications and rent reasonableness. Theresa told trustees the authority lost points on rent reasonableness because staff had not consistently recorded market-comparable rents in the software and recommended hiring a service to automate rent-reasonableness determinations.

To strengthen procedures ahead of anticipated HUD audits, the board approved a proposal to purchase a rent-reasonableness service through Nelrod (a vendor the authority uses) and authorized spending of $1,247 for a consultant visit and related work. The board voted to proceed; the motion as recorded in the meeting passed.

The board also set a public hearing on the updated Section 8 administrative plan for May 1 at 6:00 p.m.; Theresa said the plan revisions were prepared with a Nan McKay consultant and update 16 chapters of the administrative plan. If adopted after the public hearing, Theresa said she will submit the plan to HUD and publish it on the authority website.

Why it matters: the changes and the service purchase aim to strengthen compliance with HUD reporting and program-management requirements and to prepare the authority for a likely comprehensive HUD program audit within the next five years, according to Theresa.

Staff will return with more detail on the Nelrod service and updated compliance procedures.