Ian Evans, Executive Director

Adopt Resolution Delegating Authority for Determination and Settlement Claims and Litigation to the Executive Director up to $50,000 per claim or lawsuit

Ian Evans, Executive Director

Adopt Resolution Delegating Authority for Determination and Settlement Claims and Litigation to the Executive Director up to $50,000 per claim or lawsuit

The Government Claims Law Act (Government Code §§ 900 et seq.) governs claims for money or damages against “local public entities”, including Yolo County Housing (YCH), and prescribes the procedures relating to determinations by such local public entities concerning (i) the form of claims against local public entities or against officers, agents and employees thereof, (ii) the sufficiency of claims presented, (iii) the presentment of late claims, and (iv) actions with regard to approval or rejection of such claims.

The Government Claims Act authorizes an employee of the local public entity to perform those functions and to allow, compromise, or settle claims not exceeding $50,000 if the governing board of the local public entity adopts a resolution delegating such authority. The proposed Resolution delegates authority to the Executive Director, or his or her designee, to take action with regard to rejecting, allowing, compromising, or settling all claims, demands, and litigation matters subject to the Claims Law involving payments by YCH up to $50,000, in consultation with the YCH’s legal counsel and, when applicable, consistent with YCH’s insurance.

YCH is a member of an insurance risk pool with other Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) called HAI Group Inc. (“HAI”). HAI utilizes contracted counsel services in partnership with YCH to receive and evaluate claims pursuant to Part for covered claims, with HAI. The attached resolution clarifies that the Executive Director’s delegation of settlement authority must be consistent with the approved settlement authority of YCH’s insurer, such as HAI, for covered claims or legal actions.

Review and Approve a Resolution to Amend the Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standard, and authorize the Executive Director to implement the new Payment Standards.

Anisa Vallejo, Housing Programs Manager

If market conditions worsen and leasing levels decrease, staff will re-evaluate the Payment Standards to see if an additional increase should be recommended for Commission approval.
 

Approve increasing Salary Range for Office Assistant I and Office Assistant II Position

During union negotiations for the increase in salary ranges of the Facilities/Maintenance Manager and Housing Program Manager that the Commission approved during the June 28th, 2023 meeting, the membership raised concerns about the amount of time the Agency's Office Assistant I position had been vacant and asked the Agency to consider ways to increase recruitment and retention of all Office Assistant positions.  

Agency leadership and Human Resources proposed a 5% increase to both classifications on August 8th, recognizing these classifications were the lowest compensated in the Agency and the critical role they play in supporting multiple programs throughout the Agency.  The proposed 5% increase came after review of duties, responsibilities, and structure of these classifications and in comparison with the duties, responsibilities and structures of the next highest level position.  The proposed increase provides a substantial increase to both classifications while maintaining an appropriate level of compensation increase for the next higher level position which is a Housing Specialist I and II.  

The union was able to discuss the proposal with membership and informed Agency leadership on October 4th that the union and membership support this increase.  

Staff are happy to report that the Office Assistant I position has been filled and both Office Assistant II positions remain filled.  Staff recommends approval of this increase to retain these valuable employees.

Review and Approve Madison Migrant Center Maintenance Funding Resolution for FY 2021-2024

Yolo County Housing and the Office of Migrant Services executed a rehabilitation standard agreement in 2021 for initial rehabilitation work at the Madison Migrant Center.  Over the past 9 months, YCH staff have been assessing infrastructure needs at the Center and significant concerns were raised to OMS about the roof structure and ongoing deterioration caused by swamp coolers that sit atop the roofs.  Staff have worked with OMS diligently over the past several months to put together a proposal for emergency funding to replace all existing roofs at the Madison Migrant Center and replace all swamp coolers with hi-efficiency split systems that reduce the water consumption need.  

OMS leadership was able to secure emergency funding, and the execution of this funding resolution and the subsequent amendment to agreement #21-OMSR-16823 will allow YCH to procurement vendors to complete the roof and swamp cooler work.  YCH has also received $125,000 from Yolo County in Cannabis Funding, this combined with increased OMS funding should allow all roofs and swamp coolers to be replaced at the Madison Center.  It is staff's intention to have this work complete before opening day in April 2024, and all work must be completed prior to June 30, 2024.  

Staff recommends approval of this resolution and delegation of authority as described above to allow the Executive Director and YCH staff to complete these critical repairs timely.  

Election of Vice-Chair

Ian Evans, Executive Director

Receive Presentation on Cottonwood Meadows Apartments and Approve Project-Based Voucher Award to 25 Units

Ian Evans, Executive Director

New Hope is the non-profit arm of Yolo County Housing and owns, operates, and manages Cottonwood Meadows Apartments in Woodland CA.  This 47-unit property was built in 1987 and since acquiring it in 2001, New Hope has maintained it as an affordable complex for very-low-income senior/disabled residents. Forty-six (46) of the units are rentals and there is one (1) onsite manager unit. 

New Hope had a regulatory agreement for a subsidy program called the Rental Housing Construction Program (RHCP) which required a certain percentage of units in the complex maintain a rental amount at or below fair market rents for very low-income seniors.  This regulatory agreement ended in 2017 which allowed New Hope to raise rents from $641/month to $774/month effective March 1, 2017, for all units in the complex.  New Hope has maintained this $774/month rent for the property since that time which has kept the property deeply affordable but has led to insufficient funding for crucial infrastructure upgrades and repairs resulting in significant deferred maintenance costs. 

New Hope’s construction consultants are finalizing the cost estimate to address the deferred maintenance issues which includes dry rot and siding replacement, a new roof installation, and likely will include replacement of the original HVAC system, new paint, and potentially water/sewer updates. The anticipated total amount of the cost estimate is likely to range from $1.5 million to $2.0 million. 

To correct this situation and to avoid it from reoccurring, staff from multiple teams have been meeting for the past 4 months to review several options.  The main goals of our efforts was to come up with a solution that does not displace or cause any significant financial hardship to current residents, that allows the complex to maintain its affordability and focus on senior/disabled residents, that creates a path forward for a more successful financial outlook, and allows the critical infrastructure/deferred maintenance to be addressed.
 
Staff identified a solution to address the needs and meet the goals outlined above which is awarding project-based vouchers (PBVs) to 25 units at Cottonwood Meadows.  Of the 46 units available to rent, 21 have tenants in them that have tenant-based vouchers, so placing 25 PBVs on the property would ensure that all current tenants are covered by a voucher.  Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) PIH Notice 2017-21; 24 CFR 983.51(b) outlines instances where project selections can be made without a competition if they are awarded based on a previous qualifying competition. New Hope has received approximately $175,000 in multiple CDBG rounds within the past 3 years, which staff confirmed with (HUD) that this meets the requirements as a qualifying competition.  Staff have worked with HUD to approve Yolo County Housing allocating 25 project-based vouchers for the Cottonwood Meadows property.  The other piece of the solution to address the critical infrastructure needs would be New Hope securing a construction loan to cover the costs of the deferred maintenance/infrastructure improvements needed.

The reason this solution is recommended by staff is that by ensuring all current residents are covered with a voucher it will allow New Hope to raise the rents based on an upcoming rent comp study that will be completed by a third-party per HUD, but the voucher subsidy would cover the increase in rent and thus not cause any significant financial harm to existing residents. 

Staff believe that the independent comp study will likely allow rents to be raised to somewhere in the $1,400-$1,500 range which would increase annual revenue to New Hope for Cottonwood Meadows by approximately $300,000 annually.  Additionally, staff have submitted a request to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors (Attachment B) for $500,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to support the deferred maintenance/infrastructure needs.  The increased funding from the vouchers would allow New Hope to secure better terms on a construction financing loan, the ARP funding would decrease the size of the loan we would need to obtain thus allowing New Hope to pay off the debt in a timelier manner and simultaneously begin building a healthy reserve which would allow New Hope to maintain the property as an affordable senior/disabled property in perpetuity. 

Staff will be providing an update to New Hope in December of this year.  Staff is recommending that the Commission approve the non-competitive award of 25 project-based vouchers to New Hope Community Development Corporation for Cottonwood Meadows Apartments today.