Housing advisory committee forwards bylaws and 2026 annual plan, designates chair to sign HUD comment letter

The Washington County Housing Advisory Committee voted during its meeting to forward proposed bylaw revisions to the Housing Authority Board of Directors for final approval, to recommend the 2026 Public Housing Authority (PHA) Annual Plan and Moving‑to‑Work (MTW) supplement for submission to HUD, and to designate the committee chair to work with staff on a comment letter about a proposed HUD rule on mixed‑status household eligibility.

At the meeting, staff described bylaw changes that would set membership at 9–15 members, create co‑chairs with two‑year terms, clarify absence rules and add an annual bylaws review and a basic code of conduct. A motion to forward the revisions as materially consistent with the slides passed on a voice vote after members requested circulation of the final draft prior to the Housing Authority Board review.

M. Nichols, PHA policy coordinator, presented the 2026 PHA Annual Plan and its MTW supplement, explaining the documents frame operations and detail the authority’s use of 25 existing MTW flexibilities. The plan requires a public hearing on April 7 and HUD submission before April 17; the committee voted to recommend the plan to the Housing Authority Board.

Separately, staff briefed the committee on a proposed HUD change to eligibility for mixed‑status households (referred to in materials as Section 214). Housing Services asked the committee to authorize Chair Ryan Cain to collaborate with staff to draft and sign a comment letter to HUD. The committee moved, seconded and approved the designation.

Procedural notes: the committee’s approvals were by standard voice votes; specific roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the transcript. The committee repeatedly requested that final documents (bylaws redline and final annual plan) be circulated before the Housing Authority Board meeting for members who want to read the full text.