Workforce Cuts at HUD Cleveland Field Office May
Adversely Affect Support Provided to GMHA
Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority (GMHA) - 4/15/2025
Meeting Info: Regular Meeting on April 15, 2025 at 4:00 pm (EST) in the Conference Room at Murray Manor at 385 Center Street, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in-person only.
Agenda: An agenda was provided at the meeting. It is not available online. The documented proceedings below follow the agenda and are presented sequentially.
Proceedings:
1. Call to Order - 4:04 pm
2. Attendance: Chair (Acting) Jeff Markley and Board Members Susan Kemerrer, Walter Claypool, Michael Petruziello and Sandy Grassman were present.
Staff Attendance: Dawn Farrell, Executive Director; Carrie Carlson, Chief Financial Officer, and Colleen Del Balso, Legal Counsel.
Others Present: This Observer and two other members of the public were in attendance.
Observer Note: The Executive Director indicated they were recording the audio of the meeting.
3. Pledge of Allegiance - Recited
4. Approval of March Minutes
The board reviewed the minutes from the regular meeting held on March 18, 2025. The minutes were approved unanimously.
5. Financial Statements and Write-Offs
The board reviewed and unanimously approved financial statements for Public Housing, Section 8, and non-federal funds.
Write-offs totaling $186.84 of uncollectible account balances were unanimously approved.
6. Commissioner’s Report
Mr. Markley provided an update concerning ongoing hiring efforts for maintenance staff. One new hire started on March 4, and another began the day of the meeting. The agency is still seeking a qualified maintenance manager, the sole remaining position to fill.
7. Counsel Report
Board member Mr. Walter Claypool had requested a legal counsel review of the current confidentiality disclaimer in GMHA staff email communications. Counsel, Ms. Colleen Del Balso, recommended retaining the disclaimer as-is. After debate over its appropriateness and alignment with Ohio’s public records law, the board voted to adopt the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority disclaimer, which includes public records language and sets a balanced tone regarding confidentiality.
8. Report of the Director
The Executive Director, Ms. Dawn Farrell provided updates on several items:
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March Programs Report: This report summarized program performance and participant engagement and was already distributed to the board; it received no comments.
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RAD Program: HUD canceled the technical assistance contract of Mike Andrews; GMHA is coordinating directly with the Columbus Housing Authority for interim support given this action.
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Board Emails/Tablets: The board discussed issuing individual email accounts to board members via Google Workspace at $12/month per user. Some members expressed interest; additional licenses will be purchased. Tablets were of no interest to any of the board members.
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Income Limits: HUD released updated income thresholds. For a family of four:
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Extremely Low Income: $32,150
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Maximum for Voucher Program: $49,700
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Maximum for Public Housing: $79,500
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Veterans Resource Fair: Some GMHA staff will attend the Geauga Veterans Resource Fair on July 30, 2025, from 3–6 PM.
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Capital Fund Emergency Grant: A grant application totaling nearly $250,000 was not successfully submitted due to a consultant error. The director is seeking verification but believes the submission failed. There is little recourse, outside of recouping the $1,900 fee paid to the consultant.
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Streamlining Regulations: A national housing policy coalition, in which the GMHA has participated, submitted improvement recommendations to HUD.
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Vacant Lot Sales: GMHA is moving forward with title searches and appraisals to dispose of unused GMHA land parcels in the county. GMHA will fund initial legal and appraisal costs.
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Federal Investment Report: GMHA’s congressional district receives the lowest federal investment in the state. The director shared data from the Center for Community Solutions. Reviewer Note: Learn more about the Center for Community Solutions here.
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Portable Security Camera Trial: GMHA will trial a mobile LiveView Technologies (LVT) surveillance camera system starting April 16. The solar-powered unit includes motion detection, LED alerts, and remote access. It may help address safety concerns at properties with past incidents.
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Electronic Budget Maintenance System (EBMS) Transition: HUD is rolling out a new data system called EBMS to replace existing Voucher Management System (VMS) reporting. GMHA staff are currently training on its use, though implementation is delayed due to lagging system integrations.
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Field Office Staff Reductions: Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) induced HUD layoffs have reduced support capacity at the Cleveland Field Office, particularly in engineering and financial services. This will slow down, if not stop, services they have provided in the past:
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All HUD employees at the GS-13 level and below were laid off or reassigned. Probationary employees were eliminated.
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At GMHA’s local Cleveland HUD Field Office, this has resulted in:
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A 50% reduction in engineering staff.
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The loss of at least one financial analyst, with more cuts possibly pending.
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The departure of a senior field office engineer with nearly 40 years of experience.
This is particularly concerning for GMHA because the engineers and analysts at the field office support:
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RAD conversions (Rental Assistance Demonstration).
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Capital Fund programs.
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Environmental review processes.
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General project and compliance support.
As a result of these cuts, GMHA has been advised to:
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Only contact one field officer at a time, instead of multiple staff members, to prevent overwhelming the reduced team.
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Expect delays in responses and project processing due to increased workload on remaining staff.
The Executive Director expressed concern that the institutional knowledge lost—especially with the retirement of long-time HUD personnel—could affect both the speed and quality of support offered to small agencies trying to navigate HUD programs and regulatory requirements.
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National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Training: The director recommended for board members and others interested, and will facilitate access to, a new self-paced online training called The ABCs of Affordable Housing. The course is available for 30 days after sign-up.
9. Old Business
a. Email Confidentiality Statement:
The board replaced its prior disclaimer with the version used by Lorain MHA, which balances confidentiality with Ohio’s Sunshine Laws (see the Report of Counsel section for additional information).
b. On-Call Maintenance Personnel Policy:
A draft emergency on-call response policy was presented and discussed at length. Key concerns included the definition of response time, safety considerations, and procedures for logging incidents. The item was tabled to allow further board review. This will become a new standalone policy. A draft document allowing tracked changes will be provided to board members for review and comment prior to the next board meeting.
10. New Business
a. Public Hearing on Policy Updates:
The staff held a public hearing and comment period on proposed changes to the:
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Public Housing Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP)
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Section 8 Administrative Plan
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Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan
No public comments were received. The board voted to authorize:
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The Board Chair to sign the Public Housing Authority (PHA) Certification of Compliance and Civil Rights Certification.
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The Executive Director to submit the documents to HUD pending no additional public comments by April 21, 2025.
b. Board Elections:
The board unanimously elected officers for one-year terms:
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Chair: Mr. Markley
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Vice Chair: Ms. Kemerrer
c. Strickland Arms Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) Project Completion:
The board authorized the release of the final $15,000 payment upon installation of two outstanding pullout drawers. One of the two units is already occupied.
d. Architectural & Engineering Services Contract for Parking Lot Repairs:
The board approved a $32,300 contract with Four Points for design and administration of improvements at Murray Manor and Harris House. Discussion included the need for engineering due to subgrade and drainage issues and the desire for more transparent proposal reviews in future capital projects. Actual implementation of the repairs is expected to be in the six-figure sums.
e. Unpaid Leave Policy Update:
The board extended the maximum unpaid leave approval by the director from 2 months to 3 months to reflect common human resources practices.
f. Asset Disposal – Refrigerators:
The board ratified the recycling of 61 refrigerators that were removed during a recent replacement program. Thirteen units remain in stock for backup purposes.
g. Murray Manor (MM) Generator:
The board approved a project extension through May 31, 2025, due to supply delays and weather constraints affecting installation. A trial run of the new generator is scheduled for April 16, and community residents were notified in advance.
h. New Plow Truck Purchase:
The board approved the purchase of a 2024 truck with plow for $28,340, after trade-in of two older vehicles. One of the traded vehicles, a 2021 model, was incompatible with plow installation. The new truck is intended to replace a failing 2012 plow vehicle and ensure reliable winter maintenance coverage.
11. Hearing of the Public
Two topics were raised during public comment:
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Fire-Rated Doors: A resident asked about replacement plans. The director confirmed that all doors are fire-rated. A planned upgrade was linked to a grant application that was not awarded; GMHA will continue to explore other funding sources.
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Tree Planting: A resident suggested adding trees for aesthetics and shade. The director acknowledged prior plantings and expressed openness to seeking grants or partnerships for further landscaping.
12. Executive Session
The board entered an executive session at 6:05 pm, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code (ORC) under 121.22(G)(1) and 121.22(G)(3) for the employment, compensation, discipline, or promotion of a public employee.
Following the executive session, at 7:20 pm, the board resumed the public meeting indicating there were no actions requiring board approval to be motioned. However the board chair, Mr. Markley, summarized content from the executive session. He reviewed the scope of the executive director’s authority, particularly regarding hiring decisions. A key point of clarification was that the hiring and management of all agency staff—except for the executive director—falls under the director’s authority. The board affirmed that its role does not include reviewing candidate resumes or participating in hiring decisions for staff members reporting to the director.
The board agreed that the executive director retains full discretion to hire, evaluate, and, if needed, terminate staff, while the board maintains oversight at the policy and strategic level. The director will continue to inform the board of new hires, but no board approval is required.
Additionally, the board acknowledged the need for an updated organizational chart. Multiple versions of the chart may exist, and a clean, current chart would support clarity in roles and reporting structures. The board requested that the executive director work with board member Ms. Grassman to prepare a single, accurate chart to be reviewed and approved at the next regular board meeting.
13. Further Business
There was no further business.
14. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.
Next Meeting: The next meeting will be on May 20, 2025 at 4:00 pm at Murray Manor. This will be a regular board meeting.
More information about the Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority can be found here.
Observer: David Lewis
Editor: Sarah McGlone
Reviewer: Carol Benton
Date Submitted: April 19, 2025
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