DECATUR -- The Decatur City Council, on Oct. 10, discussed the recent failure by the Decatur Housing Authority to submit commissioner appointments prior to their term expiration dates two years ago.
The terms of Carl Florer, commission chairman, Fred Thompson, vice chairman, and Kenneth Setser, commissioner, expired in 2011 and 2012. The Housing Authority reappointed the three commissioners to serve terms expiring in 2015 and 2016. No documents were sent to city hall prior to their re-appointment, according to Decatur Mayor Charles Linam.
Florer claims that all three commissioners were sworn in by a county judge. However, documents were not made available to support his claim.
"We were all sworn in Jan. 27, 2012," Florer said. "My term is for four years and will not be up until 2015."
Under HUD bylaws, the commissioners cannot re-appoint themselves to the DHA. They must submit names to the Decatur City Council for approval. The council can then accept or reject any or all names submitted by the DHA. If the council rejects any or all names, the housing authority has 30 days to resubmit new names.
In a letter to Mayor Linam, former executive director Debbie Weston submitted Florer, Thompson, Setser and Stacy Brooks for council approval. However, Brooks' term expired on Sept. 1.
Tharp made a motion to appoint Brooks to the housing authority. However, Brooks asked Tharp to retract the motion pending the conclusion of the DHA investigation by HUD.
When Linam opened the floor to discuss the document submitted by Weston, councilman Bob Tharp raised the question of the legitimacy of the letter. Linam handed the document to city attorney Michael Nutt for review.
Florer maintained that the appointments were sent to the city council in 2012, reappointing Florer, Fred Thompson and Kenneth Setser to the housing authority commission.
"I did what the mayor said and the letters were sent to the city asking for approval for the appointments," Florer said.
"We did not receive any letters from the housing authority on this matter," Linam said. "At my request, the city clerk went through the complete Decatur Housing Authority files and found nothing on this matter."
Florer submitted several documents, including minutes taken in 2012, during the meeting. Each council member had the chance to review these documents before they were returned to Decatur City Clerk Kim Wilkins. As she examined the documents, most of which were minutes of past commission meetings, she noticed several discrepancies.
"The documents Carl Florer submitted looked like they were hastily put together and weren't signed," Wilkins said. "I wanted to get copies of these documents, but Carl picked them up before I had the chance," she said.
Nutt, after review, said the letter sent by Weston was not legal because of the phrase, "As per our conversation." Nutt recommended that the DHA meet to resubmit four names to the city council. Once they have four names for consideration, they can resubmit them for either approval or rejection by the council.
Kenneth Setser, one of the housing authority commissioners, addressed the council citing his concern for the residents of the DHA and the misconduct by Weston and Florer.
"The residents, some of them elderly, were intimidated by Debbie and Carl, making the complexes more like a concentration camp," Setser said. "I just want these people to get back to a normal life, free from intimidation."
Acting on Nutt's recommendation, the housing authority agreed to resubmit four names to the council for consideration at the next council meeting.
The council made a motion to table any further discussion on the DHA commission appointments until the Nov. 13 regular meeting.
According to Linam, at the conclusion of the city council meeting, Florer was heard to say, "This would not have happened if the press didn't get involved."
Anyone desiring to serve on the Decatur Housing Authority Board of Commissioners may submit his or her name at the Oct. 30 commission meeting at the DHA office on Main St. in Decatur. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
General News on 10/22/2014