Budget cuts may eliminate extra police services at public housing
Because of federal funding cuts, the Fayette County Housing Authority may not to be able to pay for additional police services at public housing sites in a few months.
Executive director Thomas Harkless said during Thursday’s monthly meeting that funding cuts may force the authority to end “above-baseline” police services contracts with municipal police departments when the new fiscal year ends on June 30.
For the past several years, the authority has entered into agreements with various municipal police departments for services that include work the police do beyond the normal scope of their duties for the housing authority, such as extra patrols.
The municipal police departments have been awarded money based on the number of public housing units in each of the municipalities that they cover. Harkless previously said the police departments were paid a “per-unit” amount of $75 for each public housing unit in their coverage area.
Harkless said the authority currently has contracts with municipal police departments in Uniontown, Connellsville, Belle Vernon, Masontown and Fairchance.
The money for the contracts, which was about $80,000 to $85,000 a year, was taken from the authority’s capital funds.
Harkless said the authority is putting together the operating budget for 2012-13 and the funding “might just not be there” for contracts with the police departments.
Solicitor Jack Purcell said it has been an ongoing battle at some public housing sites to weed out bad tenants, but progress has been made.
Currently, the public housing vacancy rate in the county is 2.4 percent, which is lower than the industry standard of 3 percent.
At Fort Mason Village in Masontown, there are currently 10 available units out of 100, whereas five years ago there were 50 vacant units.
“We’re trying to make a good neighborhood,” Harkless said.
Authority board member Harry Joseph asked how not having the police contracts would affect the authority, to which board member Robert Onesko responded that whether or not the above-baseline contract is in place, police will still respond to incidents in their jurisdictions.
After a suggestion was made about having security cameras, Harkless said he would look into the possibility of getting a U.S. Department of Justice grant.
“I’m all for police. Just seeing that car come through makes a difference,” said board member Beverly Beal.
Harkless said he would try to see if any money can be set aside for police contracts in the upcoming budget.
In other matters, the authority approved two contracts totaling $200,000.
A motion was approved to award a contract for paint and supplies at all housing authority sites to the Sherwin Williams Co. at a cost not to exceed $100,000. The contract expires Feb. 3, 2013, and the supplies will be obtained from the Uniontown store.
Also, a motion was approved to award a contract for the “Best Door Security Locks and Keying Devices” at all sites to Stanley Security Solutions Inc. at a cost not to exceed $100,000. The contract expires March 15, 2013. Stanley is based in Indianapolis, Ind. and has an office in Pittsburgh.
Both contracts were obtained through the state’s cooperative bidding program.
Board chariman Harry Fike said it doesn’t seem right that the authority is spending $100,000 for paint and won’t be protecting the buildings.
Harkless responded that the paint contract is necessary to make the units appealing to potential tenants, which, in turn, brings in revenue to the authority.
The authority also approved a $9,950 contract extension with Horizon Information Systems of Johnstown for the authority’s software system. The extension runs April 1 through March 31, 2013.
Harkless said the system runs accounts payable, accounts receivable and purchasing. He said there are 10 or 11 different modules of software that the authority uses. He said the authority keeps updating and refining the software. The extension is for the second year of a five-year contract.