The Housing Authority of the City of Danville is being asked to also serve as the board of the Vermilion County Housing Authority. County Board Chairman Mike Marron says if the County Board agrees to the arrangement at its May 8th meeting it would not merge the agencies. But he says it would allow for consolidation of government and commonsense cost savings while preserving the County’s input into housing matters.
The request for the Housing Authority of the City of Danville to serve as the board for the Vermilion County Housing Authority came from Marron and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
‘’The dramatic improvements seen in the Housing Authority of the City of Danville under their new leadership, over the past few years, is what we seek to replicate in the County Authority,’’ said Marron. He added the action to combine the leadership of both Boards, with a guarantee for continued county input will help in accomplishing that goal.
Marron (shown in photo) also says it is important that the communities outside of Danville that have public housing retain representation. So he is asking that several community leaders from around the county be asked to serve in advisory roles to the board. HUD regulations only allow seven members on the actual board and Danville’s board has a full complement of members at this time.
In addition, Marron says the County has also received assurances from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that the new Board will be indemnified from any liability associated with the issue of a loan which brought this issue to a head. ”On that basis,” added Marron, ”the County sees this as a positive step for the community as a whole.”
