The board of
commissioners of the Clatsop County Housing Authority on Thursday approved an
intergovernmental agreement temporarily assigning the Northwest Oregon Housing
Authority to handle the agency’s management duties.
NOHA assumes CCHA’s
management services as the CCHA board reviews the future management of the
agency. At the same meeting, the board voted to place CCHA Executive Director
Kathy Lucas and Operations Manager Sheila Heino on paid administrative leave.
CCHA manages
several low-income housing facilities around Clatsop
County, including Owens-Adair in Astoria, Tillikum and Wapiti in Warrenton, and Clatsop Shores
in Seaside, and
makes housing grants available to a number of local social service
organizations.
NOHA is a regional
housing authority covering Clatsop, Columbia
and Tillamook counties. It manages its own affordable housing properties
totalling 225 units as well as administers federal Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) housing assistance vouchers for 1,086 clients.
The agreement runs
to June 30, with additional month-by-month extensions allowed.
On Dec. 12 the
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted to appoint itself as the governing
body of CCHA in place of the agency’s existing board. The vote came in response
to concerns about whether the former CCHA board properly followed state public
meetings requirements in handling the agency’s business, in particular that the
subcommittees of the board were given power to deliberate over contracts and
other items outside of properly noticed public meetings.
NOHA will manage
CCHA-owned housing facilities and projects, monitor financial activities and
supervise CCHA staff.
NOHA Executive
Director Todd Johnston said the agreement will result in no changes in service
to CCHA clients. “Our role is to ensure the residents continue to receive the
services they do,” he said.
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