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Housing authority outlines budget spending and grant projects; FAST filed, audit field work set for June
Summary
Director Maritza Cervantes reported preliminary fiscal-year allocations, expenditures through May 31 and grant-funded projects completed or underway; the unaudited FAST submission was filed May 31 and audit field work is scheduled to begin June 18.
At the June 4 meeting of the Gauss Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Director Maritza Cervantes presented fiscal-year allocations and expenditures through May 31 and summarized grant-funded capital projects completed under prior grant cycles.
Cervantes said the authority had allocated $447,560 for administrative expenses and expended $56,727.04, leaving a balance of $398,832.96. Tenant services were allocated $10,130 with no expenditures reported to date. Utility expenses carried an allocation of $320,500 with $51,496.19 expended (balance $269,003.81). Maintenance and operations were allocated $831,470 with $81,352.01 expended (balance $750,117.99). Insurance had $151,330 allocated with $25,298.28 expended (balance $126,031.72). Overall, Cervantes reported total allocated funds of $1,760,990 with expenditures of $214,873.52, leaving a balance of $1,546,116.48 as of May 31, 2025.
On grants, Cervantes said the authority had closed the 2021 grant and reported spending against 2022 and 2023 grants: $705,666.51 expended of a $730,172 allocation for 2022, and $627,541.62 expended of a $747,802 allocation for 2023. The newly incorporated 2024 grant totaled $758,151; $96,653 had been obligated so far and staff must obligate 91% by May 2026 under the grant timeline.
Completed and in-progress grant projects listed by staff included exterior painting at Kitchen Ansa and Ayef properties, unit modernizations across multiple properties, installation of evaporative coolers, security camera installation (ongoing), retaining wall construction at McNabb and Cicero properties, ADA improvements to a lobby, sidewalk repairs at Esperanza, Lake Lou and Ayer, and paving and parking work planned at McNabb. Cervantes invited commissioners to request a more detailed project list if desired.
Cervantes said the authority met the May 31 deadline for submission of the unaudited FAST (Financial Assessment Subsystem) report to HUD and that audit field work would begin June 18; the full audit is due by Dec. 30. "We did meet our deadline for the unaudited FAST submission," Cervantes said.
A commissioner asked whether rising costs (insurance and utilities) risked shortfalls; Cervantes said the authority had budgeted cushions and she did not expect a shortfall at this time.
No formal board action was taken on the budget or grants during the meeting; staff forecast further follow-up and offered to provide more detailed project lists to commissioners on request.
