SRHA commissioners approve budgets
The Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority approved a slate of budgets for the upcoming fiscal year at its Friday Board of Commissioners meeting.
The commissioners approved fiscal year 2019-2020 budgets for its bond fund, the moderate rehabilitation program and the Finney Avenue Residence — a group home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — as well as the operating budget for SRHA’s housing units at Cypress Manor, Parker Riddick, Hoffler, Chorey Park and Colander Bishop Meadows.
For the bond fund, SRHA projects income of $133,978 with expenses of $49,100. The moderate rehabilitation program’s income is projected at $91,640, with expenses at $88,478. At the Finney Avenue Residence, the new budget projects a total income of $109,650, with expenses of $64,458.
One of the largest parts of the SRHA’s budget is for its housing units, as it projects to spend more than $3.2 million, and take in around $3.6 million. Of this money, its largest amount comes from federal Housing and Urban Development subsidies at more than $2.3 million. Most of the rest of the income generated from SRHA’s units come from rent charged to residents.
For the Housing Choice Voucher — Section 8 program, SRHA projects income at nearly $7.7 million and expenses at more than $7.6 million.
Its central office budget has a projected income of $755,908 and expenses of $690,891. Of its expenses, 80 percent are salaries and benefits. The budget for the community development division projects income at $282,000 and expenses at $269,283, with 84 percent of those expenses coming from salaries and benefits.
The board spent time discussing its budgeting process and ensuring that it manages it closely.
“I think as a board we just need to establish the type of budgeting that we really want to have going forward,” said Commissioner Clementine Cone. “Do we really want to have a very conservative budget? That’s what I’m accustomed to. … or, (do) we really want to go through the effort to make a fully realistic expectation, and that’s what we put and go forward with.”
Chairman Ben Fitzgerald said the board has to decide whether it will have a more aggressive budgeting process or more conservative and will need to address it over the next couple of months.
Daughter ‘very pleased’ with city response
The daughter of former Suffolk Police Chief Jimmy Wilson said it was a misunderstanding that led to confusion about whether... read more