Housing Authority overspent fed grant

Pasquotank asked to help repay $29K

The Elizabeth City Housing Authority has asked Pasquotank County for help repaying an overspent federal grant, but county officials want assurances that steps have been taken to shore up fiscal controls before they agree to help out.

An Oct. 30 letter from the Housing Authority to County Manager Randy Keaton asked the county to allow the authority to use part of the county’s PILOT grant to repay about $29,000 in overspent funds on a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development program.

The Housing Authority wishes to use some of the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) rebate from the county to repay HUD. The county agreed to the PILOT grant last year to help the authority implement energy conservation measures.

At Monday’s meeting of the Pasquotank Finance Committee, Commissioner Cecil Perry, who serves on the Housing Authority board, told fellow commissioners that the Housing Authority had been working continually on energy efficiency.

But Finance Chairman Matt Wood said that since the PILOT money had been designated for energy conservation, he would like to see something from the Housing Authority board indicating the overspending problem has been fixed before agreeing to release the money for repayment to HUD.

And Commissioner Jeff Dixon said he was concerned about where the $29,000 went.

Perry said the money was spent on a summer enrichment program that HUD said it didn’t approve of.

Wood said he would like county staff to get more information on steps taken to correct the overspending.

The committee took no action on the item at the meeting.

Keaton said Friday he had received a letter from the Housing Authority indicating the Housing Authority Board would meet Tuesday to discuss a couple of items, including the overspending. After Tuesday’s meeting the Housing Authority Board will send him a letter outlying the steps they will be taking, Keaton said.

“We’ll have that for our next meeting to discuss,” Keaton said of the forthcoming letter from the Housing Authority.

The Daily Advance received notice the Housing Authority Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday at 5 p.m.

The county PILOT is listed as one of two items on the agenda, along with “architect’s contract amendments.”

The Oct. 30 letter from the Housing Authority explained it also would be asking Elizabeth City officials “for similar consideration” in hopes of getting as close as possible to a half-and-half split between city and county in repaying the HUD funds.