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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-08-20-AHTBT-min.pdf Page 1 of 3 Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Minutes of August 20, 2025 10:00 am Hybrid meeting on Zoom and attended in-person in the Select Board Meeting Room, Town Office Building Affordable Housing Trust Board Members present: Elaine Tung, Chair; Linda Prosnitz, Tiffany Payne, Mark Sandeen, William Erickson Staff present: Elizabeth Rust, RHSO Director; Ragi Ramachandran, Administrative Assistant Ms. Tung chaired the hybrid meeting and called the meeting to order at 10:04 am. 1. Approve Meeting Minutes Ms. Tung requested a motion to approve the meeting minutes of 3/10/25, 3/25/25, and 6/26/25 AHT Executive sessions. Mr. Sandeen moved. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Erickson – yes, Payne – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). Meeting minutes approved. 2. Chair, Select Board, Board/Committee Liaison and RHSO/staff report Mr. Erickson reported that LexHAB will be meeting next week. Ms. Prosnitz shared that the Housing Partnership Board is working on a draft housing policy document outlining their goals and strategies. They will be reviewing it further during their next meeting on Aug. 28, 2025. Ms. Payne shared the Lexington Housing Authority (LHA) update. The LHA reviewed financial matters and there was discussion on the repositioning of their scattered sites, to form an LLC, and that potential pre-development funding requests may made either to the Affordable Housing Trust or Community Preservation Committee (CPC). Ms. Tung mentioned that LexHAB and LHA representatives will be attending the Sept. 4, 2025 Trust meeting to discuss FY27 CPC funding request. Ms. Rust reported RHSO’s work on Pine Grove resale unit, modifications made to Housing Needs Assessment based on clarifications received from Housing Partnership Board, LexHAB MOU, preparing for transfer of affordable housing properties to LexHAB, and supporting Ms. Prosnitz and Ms. Payne on rental assistance programs. Ms. Tung stated that LexHAB has received its IRS non-profit letter. Mr. Sandeen reported that he has been reappointed to the CPC. The Select Board will be discussing the Select Board goals on Sept. 8, 2025 and Affordable Housing Trust’s goals on Sept. 15, 2025. Mr. Sandeen clarified that while IRS has approved the 501(c)(3) status for LexHAB, they require some changes to the charter that will need a Town meeting vote and, legislative approval. Ms. Tung stated that the Trust’s Annual Town Report was due on Sept. 8, 2025. The Trustees agreed to review the draft report at their next meeting on Sept. 4. Page 2 of 3 3. Lowell Street Parcel 68-44 Update Ms. Tung stated that Causeway Development is working on its submission to the Town’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Erickson asked if the developers can provide an updated project schedule now that they have received the Project Eligibility Letter from EOHLC. Ms. Tung will ask Causeway to attend the Trust meeting on Sept. 4 to share their project updates. 4. Finance Report and Budget The Trustees reviewed the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Balance Summary. It was noted that the audited finance report for FY23 and FY24 were not received by the Trust. The Trustees unanimously agree that the expenses that are applicable with CPA guidelines must be taken out of CPA funds going forward and the financial reporting should reflect have two buckets – one for CPA funds and one for other funds such as the Brookhaven payments -in-lieu and the short term rental fees. The Trustees reviewed the AHT Contract Services Expense Summary. Thomas Case, Town CPC/Finance Administrator provided clarifications to the Trust’s questions. Mr. Case explained that legal expenses reclassifications were not yet finalized, and it could contribute to an additional $26,000 expense to the Trust. Mr. Case will update the budget line item from "Acquisition – 26 Douglas" to "Grant to LexHAB", in the funding memo. 5. Tenant Support Ms. Prosnitz provided a status update on the resident support programs. Ms. Rust, Ms. Payne and Ms. Prosnitz looked into the program eligibility and proposed changing the income limit to "below 80" to include more residents below 50%-80% range. They were planning a meeting with Human Services to ensure that there was no duplication of services, and to discuss operational details. Ms. Tung mentioned an email from Dana Bickelman, Director of Human Services, about a potential foundation grant for up to $20,000 and asking if the Trust could partner with the Human Services on applying for the grant since a 501(c)(3) status is required to apply. Ms. Tung responded to her that the Trust is a Town entity and therefore could not apply and suggested that Ms. Bickelman contact LexHAB. The working group aimed to finalize tenant support program requirements by Sept. – Oct. 2025. They noted that the earliest they could roll out the pilot program would be in early 2026. The program will be presented to the Select Board before implementation. There was discussion on developing an outreach plan for the resident support program. 6. FY2026 Goals The Trustees reviewed the Trust’s draft FY26 goals presentation. Ms. Tung walked through the slides and narrated what she would be stating during the presentation to Select Board. There was discussion on the presentation content , and on how the goals will be presented to Select Board and next steps. Ms. Tung will incorporate Trustees’ comments to the presentation. Mr. Sandeen suggested including a cover sheet with the presentation clarifying the approval that is being requested from the Select Board. The Trustees reviewed the Trust’s unified FY26 goals document, and there were discussions on the goals. Ms. Tung suggested she could set up a tour of a modular construction facility in Andover if there was interest from the Trustees. Page 3 of 3 Ms. Tung requested Ms. Rust to prepare a one-page summary of currently available housing data to help the Trust determine how to proceed with the strategic plan. Executive Session Ms. Tung moved to go into Executive session under Exemption 6 to consider the purchase or lease of real property regarding the MBTA Multi-Family Development Buy-downs. The Affordable Housing Trust Chair stated that in her opinion, an open session would have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Town and Affordable Housing Trust. Ms. Tung stated that the Trust will not reconvene in an open session after the Executive session. Mr. Erickson seconded. The Trustees voted in favor of the motion 5-0-0, by a roll call vote (Payne – yes, Erickson – yes, Sandeen – yes, Prosnitz – yes, Tung – yes). The Trust exited the open session at 11:40 am. List of documents reviewed 1. AHT Fund Balance Summary – Memo from Finance 2. AHT FY25 Contract Services Expense Details 3. AHT Draft FY26 Goals Presentation 4. Draft Unified FY26 AHT Housing Goals and Strategies