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Terrell council approves HUD five-year plan and updates to housing choice voucher administrative policies
Summary
The Terrell City Council approved a five-year plan for HUD-funded Housing Choice Vouchers and an updated administrative plan that tightens occupancy standards and clarifies inspection procedures.
The Terrell City Council on June 24 approved a five-year plan to maintain the city’s Housing Choice Voucher program and an accompanying update to the program’s administrative plan to align local policy with recent U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule changes.
The plan, presented by Denish Simon, Director of Housing, lays out goals and objectives the agency must meet to remain in compliance with HUD and covers the fiscal period beginning in 2025. The council approved Resolution No. 2238 (five-year plan) and Resolution No. 2239 (administrative plan) on motions and seconding recorded during the meeting.
Simon told the council the five-year document is intentionally concise given the city’s voucher inventory and that the administrative updates respond to HUD regulation changes, including forthcoming changes to income determination. A significant administrative change is to occupancy standards: the city proposes shifting to a two-person-per-bedroom standard (the industry norm) rather than grouping children strictly by gender and age. Simon said the change would reduce payment standards for some households but could allow the agency to serve more families overall because current lenient sizing constrains program capacity.
Council members asked how tenant complaints and substandard landlord conditions are handled. Simon described the program’s housing quality standards inspections: units receive an initial inspection before move-in, periodic inspections every two years, and additional inspections when tenants report issues. If a unit fails to meet standards and the owner does not make required repairs within the prescribed timeframe, the city may terminate the housing assistance payment contract for that unit and issue a voucher so the family can relocate. Simon said the agency helps tenants search for alternate units and performs inspections on new units to enable prompt moves.
During public hearing segments, no members of the public spoke against the plans. A council member asked whether the five-year plan included a homeownership/down-payment savings program; Simon confirmed that creating such a program is included among the goals and objectives to be developed over the five-year period.
Council action: A motion to approve the five-year HUD submission (Resolution No. 2238) was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote. A separate motion to approve the administrative plan (Resolution No. 2239) was moved, seconded, and carried unanimously among members present.
The housing director said HUD will continue to issue regulatory changes in the coming months that will require further administrative updates. The council packet shows the proposed text and redline changes to the administrative plan; the city will return to council if additional HUD directives require further revisions.
