Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 10, 2026

The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) Board of Commissioners met on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM in City Hall Room 301-A, concluding at 5:30 PM. The meeting covered approval of minutes and reports, a public listening session, a contract amendment for elevator maintenance, introduction of a new Chief Financial Officer, an update on BDO activities, and a presentation on the Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) scores and corrective action plan. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

• R13776: Approval of minutes from the Public Listening Session held on May 8, 2026.
• R13777: Approval of minutes from the regular Board meeting held on May 20, 2026.
• R13778: Acknowledgment that the May 28, 2026 meeting of the Travaux Board of Directors was canceled; the attached documents (LLC audit updates, Capital Fund Program budgets, occupancy and work order reports) were shared with directors.

Public Comments & Testimony

Three residents provided two-minute comments:

• Betty Newton (Convent Hill Resident Organization Secretary, RAB member): Raised safety concerns about a cracked concrete ramp and a large hole leading to the parking lot, noting that prior repairs had deteriorated. She stated that the current rotating maintenance team of four staff is ineffective, leading to delayed repairs (e.g., a bathroom light out for over a year). She recommended assigning Building Ambassadors to each property and utilizing SER workers (at no cost to HACM) to improve cleanliness and address staffing shortages.
• Diane Hinton (Convent Hill): Expressed concerns about how Public Safety conducts investigations involving residents, stating that residents are not always informed when they are identified in incident reports, and that investigations often rely on a single perspective without verifying all circumstances. She objected to sharing incident information with other residents and property management staff.
• Cornelius Sawyer (Highland Gardens Resident Organization President, RAB member): Stated that HACM has lacked a formal Grievance Policy for approximately five years, which he believes negatively impacts accountability for employee actions and may lead to escalating resident- staff conflicts. He noted that without such a policy, residents may take more aggressive actions to defend themselves.

Discussion Items

• R13780 – Otis Elevator Company Contract Amendment: Tim Hoye, Travaux Senior Procurement & Contract Officer, presented a one-year extension (May 31, 2026 – May 31, 2027) of the existing elevator maintenance contract, adding a not-to-exceed amount of $333,333.00 to the current $1,000,000.00 contract. The amendment maintains current pricing and fees. Commissioners discussed the limited market of qualified contractors and requested data on elevator downtime, response times, and the oldest elevators most prone to breakdowns. Ken Barbeau (COO for Program Services) noted that after-hours responses are tracked by Public Safety, and daytime tracking occurs via property managers; he committed to requesting performance reports from Performance Elevator Consulting. The board approved the amendment unanimously (7-0).
• R13781 – Report from the Secretary-Executive Director: Harold S. Ince, Jr. introduced the new Chief Financial Officer, John Larsen, who expressed enthusiasm for supporting HACM’s HUD recovery efforts. Ince also announced that an offer for the Chief Operations Officer position has been accepted, with the candidate set to start on July 6, 2026. Ken Barbeau provided an update on BDO activities: BDO (a global professional services firm) has provided critical accounting and technical assistance on an as-needed basis, including improvements to cash management, closing 2024 LLC/LIHTC audits, preparing 2025 audits, assisting with unaudited Financial Data Schedule (FDS) submissions to HUD, and drafting a revised Accounting Policies and Cost Allocation Plan as part of the Sustainability Plan. The new CFO will review these documents before submission to the HUD Field Office.
• R13782 – SEMAP 2025 Scores and Corrective Action Plan: Tracy Sheffield (Senior VP, CVR Associates), Michael Tonovitz (Co-President, CVR), and Tina Royalty (Housing Choice Voucher Director) presented. Michael Tonovitz explained that SEMAP (Section Eight Management Assessment Program) uses 14 indicators to measure voucher program performance. Tracy Sheffield reported that HACM received a final SEMAP score of 34% for fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. She detailed corrective actions for each underperforming indicator (e.g., rent reasonableness, adjusted income, inspections enforcement, utility allowances, payment standards, family self-sufficiency), noting that most areas now show 100% compliance in first quarter 2026. The estimated 2026 SEMAP score is 125 out of 145 possible points (86% compliance), placing HACM in “Standard” status (60-89%). To reach “High Performer” status, a 90% or higher score is needed. The agency remains in Housing Choice Voucher shortfall but expects an update from HUD that week on whether funding allows resuming voucher issuance. Commissioners discussed the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program (Indicator 14), noting that approximately 55-60 of the mandatory 93 slots are currently filled, served by two FSS coordinators (funded at half an FTE by HUD; HACM covers the difference).

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda approved (7-0).
• R13780 – Otis Elevator Contract Amendment approved (7-0) with a directive to staff to provide elevator performance data (downtime, response times) for future renewals.
• R13781 – Report received; CFO John Larsen and incoming COO noted; BDO update discussed; no vote required.
• R13782 – SEMAP presentation received; board acknowledged significant improvement from 34% to 86% estimated compliance and noted continued efforts to exit voucher shortfall. No vote required.
• Meeting adjourned at 5:30 PM.