Council moves to draft ordinance and delay Montgomery Housing Authority appointments

City Council members discussed the process by which the council appoints a resident commissioner to the Montgomery Housing Authority board and agreed to hold two pending appointments while legal staff prepare a proposed ordinance on the selection method.

City Clerk/meeting presenter read parts of the housing authority bylaws aloud, noting that "the board shall consist of nine commissioners, one of which shall be a resident of the authority who shall be appointed by Montgomery City Council" but that the bylaws "do not prescribe how the city council shall appoint the board, only that the Montgomery City Council has the appointment power." The council heard that the bylaws were amended in 2019 and that the housing authority’s interim CEO provided related documents.

The nut graf: Council members expressed concern that a single district had routinely supplied the resident appointment and asked for a transparent, written process. One council member moved to delay action on two appointments while the council and legal staff draft an ordinance to set a clear appointment method; the chair set the items to be returned in two weeks.

Council discussion included district requests to allow incumbents or nominees to observe several board meetings before a final appointment and a warning from the chair that the city should avoid jeopardizing HUD funding by mishandling appointments. Council did not vote to adopt any ordinance at the meeting; instead the body unanimously agreed to hold the two appointments for two weeks and to instruct staff to draft a proposed ordinance for council review.

The council also discussed the HUD requirement that one board member must be a resident who may receive Section 8 funds; members noted the appointment need not be tied to a single council district. No individual was appointed during the meeting.