August 18, 2020 Board Meeting
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August 18, 2020 Board Meeting Agenda August 18, 2020 1 Minutes June 16, 2020 Meeting 2 Board of Commissioners- BIOS 6 State Low Income Housing Tax Credit Rule 8 3D Printed Homes 14 Asset Management 27 Communications and Planning 28 COVID Rent Relief 30 Development 32 Energy & Housing Services 33 Finance Monthly Report 35 Financial & Budget Report 37 Finance Delinquency Report & Charts 46 Homeless Initiatives 58 Homeownership 60 Housing Choice Voucher 62 Information Technology 64 Calendar 65 Board of Commissioners Meeting – August 18, 2020 9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD: Lincoln Merrill, Jr. (Chair), Donna Talarico (Secretary), Thomas Davis, Daniel Brennan, Laurence Gross, Henry Beck, Bonita Usher (Vice Chair), AGENDAKevin P. Joseph, Laura Buxbaum _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 9:00 Adopt Agenda (VOTE) Lincoln Merrill Approve minutes of June 16, 2020 meeting (VOTE) All Communications and Conflicts All Chair of the Board Updates Lincoln Merrill Director Updates Dan Brennan 9:30 Public Hearing - State Low Income Housing Tax Mark Wiesendanger/ Credit John Bobrowiecki 9:45 Homeless Initiatives Update Lauren Bustard 10:00 Asset Management Update Bob Conroy 10:15 University of Maine 3D House Initiative Mark Wiesendanger 10:35 Executive Session All Personnel discussion Department Reports: All Asset Management Communications and Planning Development Energy and Housing Services Finance Monthly Report Financial & Budget Report Finance Delinquency Report & Charts Homeless Initiatives Homeownership Housing Choice Voucher Information Technology Adjourn (VOTE) All The next meeting of the Board is scheduled September 15, 2020 via teleconference 1 Minutes of the Board of Commissioners Meeting June 16, 2020 MEETING CONVENED A regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners for MaineHousing convened on June 16, 2020 virtually and at the offices of MaineHousing, 26 Edison Drive, Augusta, Maine. Notice of the meeting was published on June 5, 2020 in Central Maine newspapers. Chair Lincoln Merrill called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. The meeting convened with Director Dan Brennan present. Commissioners Bonita Usher, Kevin Joseph, Donna Talarico, Larry Gross, Laura Buxbaum and State Treasurer Henry Beck all attended via video conference because of COVID-19. Commissioner Tom Davis was absent. There was a quorum present. PUBLIC ATTENDANCE Guests and staff attending for all or part of the meeting both remotely and in person included: Peter Merrill, Deputy Director; Linda Uhl, Chief Counsel; Tom Cary, Treasurer; Lauren Bustard, Senior Director of Programs; Laurie Murray, Director of Homeless Initiatives; Linda Grotton, Director of Audit and Compliance; Craig Reynolds, Director of Homeownership; Troy Fullmer, Manager of HEAP; Daniel Drost, Director of Energy and Housing Services; Kyme Ferenc, Manager of Housing and Weatherization Services; Karen Lawlor, Executive Administrator; Denise Lord, Senior Director of Communications and Planning; Mark Wiesendanger, Director of Development; Darren Brown, Director of Finance; Bobbie-Jo Marcoux, Loan Administration Manager; Lynne Lugdon, Penquis Community Action Agency; Brenda Sylvester, Community Housing of Maine, Inc.; Megan Hannan, Maine Community Action Agency; and Gerrylynn Ricker, Paralegal and note taker. ADOPT AGENDA Commissioner Gross made a motion seconded by Commissioner Joseph to adopt the June 16, 2020 agenda. The vote carried unanimously. APPROVE MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 MEETING Commissioner Usher made a motion seconded by Commissioner Joseph to accept the May 26, 2020 minutes as written. The vote carried unanimously. COMMUNICATIONS AND CONFLICTS None. CHAIR OF THE BOARD UPDATES Chair Merrill stated he took a tour of 26 Edison Drive, Augusta with former Chair of the Board, Peter Anastos and found it to be “absolutely stunning.” Chair Merrill stated that everyone involved with the building has the sincere appreciation of the Board. DIRECTOR UPDATES Director Brennan reported his activities and upcoming matters as follows: Arrived and open for business in the new building on Edison Drive on Monday, June 8th. Everything went perfect. Staggered employees in-office for unpacking. Trying to re-establish some sense of normalcy and work our way out of crisis management mode. 2 Leadership team is back to meeting weekly and the Safety and Security team is working on the task of what re-opening will look like. We are still closed to the public. Spoke (virtually) with the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition at their June 2nd meeting. Had the NCSHA national meeting with peers from around the country about how they’re dealing with COVID-19. Spoke with the Labor and Housing Committee at the Legislature and speak with the Governor’s office at least once a week. Meeting later this week with the Climate Council. Don McGilvery, Construction Services Manager is on the Building, Housing and Infrastructure Committee. Mentioned last meeting that we only received $3 Million for our Home Energy Assistance Program out of a pot of $900 Million when we thought we were going to get around $9 Million. Director Brennan and Deputy Director Merrill spoke with staff at Senator Collins’ office who looked into how that Nine Hundred Million was allocated and basically, it falls under federal bureaucratic interpretation of what Congress intended. They did use a methodology that followed the statute, nonetheless we did get an extra $3 Million and are now in the process of a PR push to get the money out with Channel 8, WGAN, and a few other channels and radio stations. Have extended the Rent Relief Program through the month of June. We will be seeking reimbursement of the $2 Million we put into the program from the Coronavirus Relief Fund. The Department of Economic and Community Development will have Federal funds available July 1. We are going to administer those funds on their behalf with a Federal rent relief program. We have started the rent relief program for projects that are in our portfolio. ADOPT CHAPTER 24 – HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM RULE AND FY 2021 PROPOSED STATE PLAN Manager of HEAP, Troy Fullmer reviewed the stakeholders’ input and the comments that were received at the public hearings and MaineHousing’s response to those comments. Commissioner Gross stated he is pleased to see that we are working with DHHS and categorical eligibility and he is interested in seeing the progress from that going forward. State Treasurer Beck agreed with Commissioner Davis as did Commissioner Buxbaum. Commissioner Gross made a motion seconded by Commissioner Joseph to repeal the existing Home Energy Assistance Program Rule, Chapter 24 of MaineHousing’s rules, and replace it with the replacement Home Energy Assistance Program Rule attached to the memo on adoption of the Home Energy Assistance Program Rule and Federal Fiscal Year 2021 State Plan from Manager of HEAP Troy Fullmer and Chief Counsel Linda Uhl to the Board of Commissioners dated June 10, 2020. The vote carried unanimously. Commissioner Buxbaum made a motion seconded by Commissioner Usher to adopt the Federal Fiscal Year 2021 Home Energy Assistance Program State Plan as attached to the memo on adoption of the Home Energy Assistance Program Rule and Federal Fiscal Year 2021 State Plan from Manager of HEAP Troy Fullmer and Chief Counsel Linda Uhl to the Board of Commissioners dated June 10, 2020. The vote carried unanimously. ADOPT CHAPTER 16 – LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROGRAM Director of Development, Mark Wiesendanger reviewed the comments that were received as well as MaineHousing’s responses to those comments. No changes to the rule were made because of comments received. State Treasurer Beck made a motion seconded by Commissioner Joseph to repeal the existing Low Income Housing Tax Credit Rule, Chapter 16 of MaineHousing’s rules, and replace it with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Rule attached to the memorandum to the MaineHousing Board of Commissioners from Mark Wiesendanger and Linda Uhl dated June 10, 2020. The vote carried unanimously. 3 COMMENCE RULEMAKING – STATE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROGRAM RULE Director of Development, Mark Wiesendanger asked the Commissioners to authorize the commencement of rulemaking for the proposed State Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. The state low income housing tax credit law was enacted by the Legislature to provide funds for the development and preservation of multi-family affordable housing. Mark explained that this draft is the result of many conversations of a working group made up of members from MaineHousing, MAHC, NNEHIF, the Genesis Fund, Drummond Woodsum, and Nixon Peabody, with the additional input of developer partners, consultants, legislators, this Board and the Mills administration. Commissioner Gross made a motion seconded by Commissioner Buxbaum to commence the rulemaking process to adopt a new State Low Income Housing Tax Credit Rule as described in the memorandum from Mark Wiesendanger, Director of Development, to the Commissioners dated June 16, 2020. The motion carried unanimously. Following Mark’s State Low Income Housing Credit Program Rule presentation, there was a discussion regarding development and the impact COVID-19 is having. Mark explained that tax credit syndicators are not able to commit to pricing. Mark thinks pricing is going to be less in the near future but right now developers are not finding enough investors to close funds. Mark believes this is temporary. HOMELESS INITIATIVES UPDATE Director of