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Commissioners press Pasco Housing Authority on voucher outreach and CDBG contract transparency
Summary
Board members questioned why the housing authority’s waiting-list outreach produced a roughly 60/40 split of non‑Pasco to Pasco applicants and directed staff to bring contracts back to the board for vetting after concerns about advertising and local preference were raised.
The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 5 debated outreach practices for the housing authority’s voucher waiting list and asked county staff to increase transparency around Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) contract approvals.
Several commissioners said they were concerned after a local TV station aired a segment noting the housing authority’s open waiting list; Commissioner Oakley said she objected to perceived out‑of‑county recruitment and asked whether the authority had been advertising beyond local channels. Jeff Sclet, identified as executive director of the Pasco County Housing Authority, told the board the agency did not purchase TV ads but did participate in a news spot to publicize the wait-list opening; he said legal requirements and fair-housing rules require broadly accessible notice. Sclet said the authority applies a local preference policy that moves Pasco residents ahead on the list when applications are processed.
Commissioners said they were troubled by a reported 60/40 split on the waiting list between Pasco and non‑Pasco applicants and asked for a presentation on voucher outcomes and outreach strategies. They also pressed for greater fiscal transparency for CDBG awards and asked staff to return contracts to the board for approval rather than authorizing county staff to sign them immediately.
Outcome: The board voted to approve the fiscal-year list of projects to submit to HUD (a required step for federal funding) because of HUD’s submission deadline, but directed staff to return individual contracts to the board for review and approval instead of executing them administratively. Commissioners requested a homelessness workshop and further briefings on voucher policy, outreach, and potential local-preference strategies.
Attribution: Statements attributed to Executive Director Jeff Sclet and to commissioners speaking at the meeting (identified by transcript).
