Councilmember Raffel, speaking at the Binghamton City work session Monday, said the city needs to review how the Binghamton Housing Authority (BHA) is handling renovations and tenant relocations as it pursues a HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversion at Saratoga Heights.

The RAD program, Raffel said, "allows public housing authorities to convert their public housing units into tenant based section 8 assistance," a move that transfers ownership and management to private landlords that can accept housing choice vouchers and access rents closer to fair market.

The concern for councilmembers, Raffel said, is how units are chosen for renovation and whether relocation is happening only through natural vacancy. "There was an allegation by the Binghamton Tenants Union in early May" that the BHA is not following federal regulations around income adjustments and rent collection, Raffel said, and that the authority "has sued the second highest number of tenants for eviction compared to other landlords in the city" since the COVID-19 eviction moratorium ended.

Why it matters: Councilmembers framed the discussion as both a governance question — the BHA is a separate legal entity with its own board and bylaws — and a tenant-protection issue because the authority manages "over 600 units working with an extremely vulnerable population," Raffel said. Members said they want to ensure renovations use natural vacancy rather than actions that could increase evictions.

Discussion points included requests that BHA executive director Jean Westcott attend a committee meeting and that the city seek HUD field office guidance on best practices. Councilmember Raffel said he had invited Westcott to the work session but she declined; he said he would like the housing authority to present federal regulations and explain steps taken to assist tenants who face relocation or income changes.

Councilmember Murray and others reported conversations with tenants and legal aid attorneys who alleged problems such as delayed maintenance and inconsistent rent adjustments when residents reported job loss. Murray said tenants have described being told repairs would be delayed because renovations were planned for the building.

Next steps: Councilmembers agreed to refer the topic to the planning committee for further discussion and to invite BHA leadership and, if possible, HUD field office staff to provide clarification and documentation. No formal vote to require action by the housing authority was taken at the work session.

The city’s role: Speakers noted the limits of municipal authority — the BHA is governed by its own board and appointed largely by the mayor under its bylaws — but argued the city can monitor and support tenant protections and pursue better representation at authority and resident meetings.

Ending: Councilmembers said they will pursue committee review, request the BHA bylaws and meeting minutes, and continue to gather information from tenants and legal aid representatives before considering formal action.