Residents urge investigation of McGregor Housing Authority during fair-housing proclamation

At its Oct. 13 meeting the McGregor City Council read and signed a proclamation designating April as Fair Housing Month and received public comments from tenants of McGregor Senior Apartments alleging harassment, unsafe conditions and lack of maintenance by the property manager.

Judy Hayer, who identified her address as McGregor Senior Apartments, 1007 South Madison Street, described problems she said are longstanding: “And there's she's been there for many, many years. And there's a lot of people that are afraid of her. She doesn't get anything fixed. They're living with ants.” Hayer named a manager she identified as Joan Wright and said tenants fear retaliation for reporting problems.

Another tenant, Wendy Hill (301 N. Josh Drive, Unit 104), who said she previously lived at McGregor Senior Apartments for seven years, gave specific maintenance examples and said reporting problems produced either no remedial action or hostile responses from management: “When you have a leak underneath the sink and you get told, do you have a bucket? Leave it underneath there. We'll come fix it next week.” Hill added that tenants are reluctant to complain because they fear eviction and rely on the housing for shelter.

Mayor (presiding officer) acknowledged the complaints and directed staff to collect contact information and pursue follow up: “Give him all your contact information. And he's gonna do it. And we will look into everything that you're talking about.” Council also asked staff to route the matter to the McGregor Housing Authority board for investigation. Alex (council member) was recorded asking staff to gather more information so council could take the issue to the housing board.

The fair-housing proclamation recited the statutory language in Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act). The city tied the proclamation to requirements for a Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation award from the Texas General Land Office; staff had earlier explained that passing civil-rights policies and a proclamation was part of the paperwork required to obtain the grant funds for the city’s comprehensive plan.

City staff committed to obtain contact information from the speakers and to follow up with the McGregor Housing Authority. The meeting record does not show any formal investigation having begun during the meeting; council instructed staff to bring back information and to coordinate with the appropriate housing‑authority oversight board.

The tenants’ comments raised multiple concerns cited by speakers: alleged entry to units without tenant presence, pest infestations (ants), unaddressed plumbing leaks, reported harassment by a named manager, and potential safety hazards associated with fenced yards that have limited egress. Staff asked for names and contact numbers and affirmed they would pursue the complaints through the appropriate oversight process.

The council simultaneously completed the grant-compliance steps: adopting civil-rights policies required for the GLO RCP award and designating authorized signatories, which staff said were prerequisites for the grant funds that will support the city’s comprehensive plan work.