CPLA Regular Meeting Minutes January 19, 2016 s1

CPLA Regular Meeting Minutes – January 19, 2016

Officers Attending: President Bill Kitt, Treasurer Vance Villano, Trustee Bud Cawtherne, and Secretary Gloria Sprankle. Not in attendance: Trustee Paul Davis, Secretary Rachel Davis, Vice President Barb Weakland, and Trustee Paulette Cornet.

President Kitt started the meeting at 7:00 PM by welcoming everyone.

There were 29 members in attendance. The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance. No minutes were read as last month was the Christmas Party.

Vance Villano gave the Treasurer’s report. He stated there is a $7409 balance in the account and all bills and donations have been paid. He mentioned that new monies will be coming in from the website soon. He discussed the CPLA’s Tax Exempt status – which has been a process we are working towards.

Bill Kitt briefly mentioned about the Christmas Party and also informed the members that we will again have a Spring Outing. Tentative month is May at the Heidelburg Country Club – basement meeting room and outdoor patio. More information on a specific date will be coming.

A brief discussion was held on the new College website section – it is being modernized. Members will need to check their information on the site – the text will be there, they can upload pictures. The new pricing is $75 for a general ad and $85 for a feature ad. Pam Mitchell will be the guest speaker at the February meeting and she will talk about the changes to the web site.

Bill stated that the college revenue is what makes us ‘operable’. The $100 membership fee would not support the CPLA. He also noted that all PROA fees and the Johnstown Credit Bureau fees for ALL members are paid by CPLA.

Ideas for the March guest speaker were mentioned. Bill had been contacted by an out-of-town attorney willing to come to Altoona to speak to the members about lawsuits and liabilities for landlords. Bill will look around for a local attorney to see if one would be willing to speak at our March meeting and cover the same topics.

We need a speaker for the April meeting. If you have an idea for a speaker, please contact Bill ([email protected]).

Angela Smoyer and Howard Ermin – Regional Housing coordinators – spoke briefly about older persons with disabilities and that they are in need of housing. They will work with landlords on matching the person/disability to what the landlord has available.

Bill introduced our guest speakers: Kathy Ardizzone and Hayley Miller.

Kathy is a Section 8 Coordinator with the Altoona Housing Authority and spoke about the Section 8 Housing program in Altoona. She stated that they run criminal checks on renters and landlords! Items of interest that were distributed: AHA Housing Allowances for Tenant Furnished Utilities and Other Services (new amounts effective March 1, 2016); Section 8 Rental Assistance pamphlet; “A Good Place to Live” packet from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Section 8 Landlord Handbook; Housing Choice Vouchers Fact Sheet; Direct Deposit sample form, Criminal Conviction sample form; Quick Tip Resource Guide for Landlords (information from the Operation Our Town & Central PA Landlord’s Association) and a Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act pass out.

Hayley spoke briefly about the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program (a Section 8 for Veterans) and the homeless in Altoona. She stated that they have ongoing case managers and perform monthly visits to the residences.

Lauren Mariani, VP Community Banking Manage of S&T Bank introduced herself to members and reminded them about the services they offer landlords.

A motion to adjourn was made by Dan Spinazolla, seconded by Cindy Detrich.