Fourteen people have applied for three open seats on the Estes Park Housing Authority board.
The Town Board on July 7 appointed Trustees Frank Lancaster and Mark Igel to review the applications, conduct interviews and recommend candidates for appointment to the full board.
Interviews, originally expected to begin sooner, have been delayed because of the number of applicants and scheduling conflicts during the summer. Lancaster said Tuesday that interviews are expected to begin after Aug. 11, with appointments anticipated before the end of August.
On Tuesday morning, during the July Housing Authority meeting, Lancaster said the number of applicants and trustees’ summer schedules delayed the appointment process. He said he expects the applications to be screened before interviews begin.
Lancaster also said the Town Board plans to discuss whether a town trustee should serve as a voting member of the Housing Authority board rather than only as a liaison. Trustees are expected to discuss the governance question at their Aug. 11 meeting before interviews begin later that month.
The proposal drew concern from several Housing Authority board members.
Commissioners Stacy Ciolli and Pete Smith said at least one Housing Authority representative should participate in candidate interviews and have input into selecting new board members.
Ciolli expressed concern that political considerations could influence appointments.
Lancaster acknowledged those concerns but said state law gives the Town Board authority to appoint Housing Authority commissioners. He said he supports the statutory structure because it allows the Housing Authority to operate as an independent board with specialized housing expertise while remaining accountable to the Town Board through the appointment process.
The discussion concluded with board members agreeing that those appointed should support the Housing Authority’s mission.
Housing Authority prepares to relocate offices
The Housing Authority is preparing to relocate its administrative offices in mid-August from the U.S. Bank Building to the former SkyView Events Center at Fall River Village.
The move comes as the U.S. Bank Building is under contract for sale. Plans call for the building’s first floor to be converted from office space to retail space, while U.S. Bank will maintain a smaller footprint in the building.
The Housing Authority currently occupies office space on the building’s first floor and uses the first-floor conference room for its monthly board meetings.
The Unitarian Universalist and Quaker groups, which have held joint fellowship gatherings in the conference room for the past decade, recently learned through a notice posted on the conference room door that they may no longer use the space after July 31. They plan to begin meeting Sunday mornings at the American Legion Hall.
Housing Authority Executive Director Scott Moulton also briefed the board on plans to revise the agency’s employee handbook, beginning with its policy prohibiting the hiring of family members.
Moulton said the policy has become a barrier to recruiting qualified employees in Estes Park’s limited labor market. During a recent hiring process, one of the strongest applicants was related to a current employee.
Because the employee had no role in the hiring process and would neither supervise nor report to the applicant, Moulton allowed the candidate to continue through the interview process while seeking the board’s guidance on changing the policy.
Moulton said he plans to work with legal counsel and human resources professionals to draft revisions allowing family members to work for the Housing Authority under safeguards designed to prevent conflicts of interest, including prohibiting relatives from supervising one another or participating in hiring decisions involving family members.
Board members expressed support for the concept and asked to review the revised handbook before adopting it.
I found it interesting that the discussion concluded with board members agreeing that appointees should support the Housing Authority’s mission.
While Colorado law clearly gives the Town Board the authority to appoint Housing Authority commissioners, the expectation that appointees “should support the Housing Authority’s mission” appears to be a subjective preference rather than an objective.
I’m curious how that expectation is balanced with the importance of independent oversight and the value of having commissioners with diverse viewpoints and experiences.
Does supporting the Housing Authority’s mission simply mean supporting the general goal of providing affordable housing? Or is it intended to mean that commissioners should also support the current board’s policies, priorities, or leadership decisions?
I believe those are important distinctions because governing boards are generally most effective when members can exercise independent judgment, ask difficult questions, and provide oversight while still fulfilling the organization’s statutory mission.
C. Jacobs – E.P. Resident
I am one of the fourteen applicants, and I am extremely excited at the prospect of being appointed to the Housing Board. God willing!