Housing authority committee approves 5-year Yardi software subscription worth $344,961.75

The Community Services, Public Safety, Housing and Development Committee recommended that the Housing Authority of the City of Oxnard approve a five‑year software subscription with Yardi Systems for public housing and Housing Choice Voucher operations in an aggregate amount of $344,961.75 plus annual consumer price index increases.

The contract was presented by Bridal Lopez, Housing Department staff, who described the agreement as a database and client‑management platform used for the authority’s public housing and voucher operations. Committee members asked how tenant screening information would be stored and whether the vendor’s contract would be subject to public‑records disclosure.

Bridal Lopez said screening services in general can include credit checks, criminal reports and income and employment verification, and that the housing office would keep existing vendor agreements for background checks. Lopez said vendors and city IT measures require encryption and IP restrictions, noting "our IP addresses are monitored to make sure that we're not accessing" unauthorized locations. The City Attorney clarified that the contract and associated documents are public records under the California Public Records Act, but said applicants’ personal information would not be made public: "That is not going to be subject to public scribe in that sense."

Lopez also said the housing authority follows procurement rules and Department of Housing and Urban Development requirements that typically limit contract terms to five years and require re‑solicitation at that interval. "In our case, we do not contract for more than 5 years," Lopez said, adding the authority has used Yardi since February 2007 because the vendor was the most competitive in previous solicitations.

Committee members moved and seconded the recommendation to proceed; the clerk recorded the vote as Committee Member Peralo: yes; Committee Member Perez: yes; Chair McArthur: yes. The motion carried 3 to 0.

The committee did not change the recommendation before forwarding it to the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners for final authorization.

Votes at a glance Yardi Systems software subscription — Motion to recommend Housing Authority approve and authorize execution of a five‑year software subscription agreement with Yardi Systems in an aggregate amount of $344,961.75 plus CPI increases. Vote: 3–0.