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Commission seeks tighter oversight of Coffey County Housing Authority and appoints new board member
Summary
After an extended review of the Housing Authority's bylaws, finances and grants, Coffey County commissioners asked staff to develop options to clarify oversight and possible administrative changes; they also appointed James Higgins to an unexpired Housing Authority board term through Oct. 26, 2028.
Commissioners spent a lengthy portion of the April 20 meeting reviewing the Coffey County Housing Authority's structure, budgets and operations, and asked staff to prepare options for greater county oversight and administrative consolidation.
The discussion touched on the authority's origin, the 2011 change in authority bylaws that shifted some hiring authority to the housing board, and questions about prior accounting lines and audit items. Commissioners said they were concerned the county had not consistently received timely financial updates and that an interest expense line in prior accounting had reached roughly $48,000 in a period cited during the discussion.
Housing Authority Executive Director Lindsay reviewed ongoing grant activity, including a multi‑year U.S. Department of Agriculture housing preservation grant that funds residential rehabilitation for low‑ and very low‑income residents; she said that grant activity averaged about 20 rehabs per year under recent programs and that she continues to administer active grants and match funding. Economic Development Director Jenny Chapman described housing as a key component of her office's economic development work and said better coordination with the housing authority would help workforce and quality‑of‑place efforts.
Commissioners expressed interest in several specific changes: moving the housing authority's administrative office into the county courthouse to improve coordination and reduce overhead where feasible, clarifying whether the executive director should be a county employee (some bylaws cite that status), ensuring board decisions or bylaw changes are communicated to and approved by the commission when appropriate, and exploring whether housing authority rental holdings should remain county‑owned or be disposed of.
As an immediate action, the commission appointed James Higgins to fill an unexpired housing authority term that expires Oct. 26, 2028. Commissioners agreed to form a small working group (two commissioners plus staff representatives) to meet with the housing authority leadership and return recommendations on governance, budget controls and administrative placement.
Commission staff will provide the commission with the housing authority's audit when it is presented to the authority and will schedule the joint working group meeting to develop proposals before the next budget cycle.
