Ballston Spa trustees adopt five-year PHA plan for Section 8 program

The Village of Ballston Spa Board of Trustees voted to adopt the public housing authority (PHA) plan for the village’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and authorized the mayor to execute documents consistent with that resolution.

The PHA plan, required to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development every five years, defines how the village’s program is operated and how the village applies allowable discretion under HUD rules. "The purpose of the hearing this evening is about the PHA plan, which the village is required to submit to HUD, every 5 years, and it is how the program is operated," said Nancy Williams of GEM Inc., the firm that manages the village’s Section 8 program.

Williams told trustees the program has been in place since 1978 and that the village currently allocates 126 vouchers. She said 119 families were receiving assistance in the field at the time of the presentation. Williams reported 627 households on the program’s waiting list, with 21 of those living or working in the village. She said portability activity included nine voucher holders who moved out of the village and 10 who ported into Ballston Spa from other jurisdictions.

The presentation listed program details including 202 unit inspections in 2024, of which 160 passed and 42 failed; an average participant tenure of 7.6 years (about eight years for elderly or disabled households); an average household income reported as $1,519; and an average monthly subsidy of $722 per household. Williams said the village has 12 households enrolled in the Family Self-Sufficiency program, three of whom have escrow accounts, and two households have used vouchers to purchase homes.

Trustees asked about wait times and eligibility priorities. Williams said applicants can expect roughly a year to 18 months under current conditions but noted that portability into the village program is difficult because vouchers require suitable housing and landlord participation. She explained the village uses local preference categories: people who live or work in the village and elderly or disabled applicants receive priority.

After the presentation, Trustee Medasa moved to close the public hearing at 7:16 p.m.; Trustee Baskin seconded and the motion carried. Later, Trustee Frank moved to approve the resolution adopting the PHA plan and authorizing the mayor to execute documents; the motion carried.

The board vote record in the transcript shows the motions passed but does not provide a per-member roll-call tally in the minutes. The village’s PHA remains managed by GEM Inc., which Williams said has managed the program since its inception.

Trustees indicated they would circulate the formal resolution for signatures after the meeting.