June 18, 2026 Annual Meeting

MINUTES OF A MEETING

DRAFT- NOT YET APPROVED
These minutes are subject to approval by the Board at a future meeting and may be revised.

The Regular Meeting of the Norwalk Housing Authority Board of Commissioners was convened at 6:19 pm June 18, 2026.

Location: Zoom Video Conference

Present:
Brenda Penn-Williams, Chair
Liza Bermudez-Montgomery, Vice Chair
John Church, Treasurer
Isaac Walcott, Commissioner
Teneshia Jacobs, Commissioner

Staff Attending:
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director
Kras Carlucci, Deputy Director
Charmaine Davis-Ford, Director of Finance
Leroy Fender, Director of Maintenance
Lisa Endo, Director of Development
Alison Mukhtar, Director of Operations
Linda Rolle, Director of Advancement
Nicole Ruffin, HR Generalist
Donna Lattarulo, Outside General Council, Lattarulo Law Firm, LLC

Roll Call:
At 6:19 pm, Chair Penn-Williams opened the meeting. Chair Penn-Williams recognized Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs, Commissioner Walcott, Treasurer Church and Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery, as present and acknowledged the presence of a quorum.

Report of the Secretary:

1. Mr. Bovilsky reported the House put out their own version of the budget for next year, and Mr. Bovilsky provided an update on how that compared to the President's proposed budget.

2. Mr. Bovilsky reported that on May 26th HUD confirmed that Norwalk Housing Authority is no longer in Shortfall for its voucher program. Although HUD is not providing sufficient funding for all of our allocated vouchers, they have increased our budget authority. This means that Norwalk Housing is no longer restricted in its use of vouchers. The Norwalk Housing Authority is waiting for final data from HUD prior to working with the HUD Field Office to determine a specific number of vouchers we can issuance. Mr. Bovilsky confirmed that a Limited Preference waitlist was opened to address the relocation needs of the tenants at 79 S Main. If there are additional vouchers they would be issued following the order of the waitlist.

Treasurer Church asked if the board should be concerned about any issues beyond the one-year horizon, particularly after HUD completes their annual reconciliation. Mr. Bovilsky confirmed that the reason Norwalk Housing Authority has not yet issued vouchers is because it is trying to be fiscally conservative to avoid going back into Shortfall. In addition, Mr. Bovilsky confirmed that the Norwalk Housing Authority is waiting for HUD's two-year tool to ensure calculations are aligned, and Charmaine Davis-Ford is doing an audit of voucher usage to feel confident on a safe voucher issuance number. HUD has said that agencies that go into Shortfall multiple times will receive less Shortfall funding the next time the need arises. The Norwalk Housing Authority is aware of the risks and therefore wants to remain conservative in voucher issuance.

3. Mr. Bovilsky announced that the parking lot at Hanford Coop has been renovated and expanded to ensure that the appropriate amount of parking is available to tenants. Parking spots are now marked and there is room for all units to have one parking spot.

4. Mr. Bovilsky shared that the Learning Center students created their annual book of artwork and poems with the Silvermine Art Center.

5. Mr. Bovilsky shared that the Learning Center students put on Beauty & the Beast as part of their theater program.

6. Mr. Bovilsky announced that the Learning Center's Summer Program will be starting on June 29th and the staff is excited for a summer filled with enrichment activities including swimming.

7. Mr. Bovilsky shared that the following upcoming events:
• June 29, 2026 @10am Oak Grove Ribbon Cutting
• July 8, 2026@11am Job Fair at EnVision Center
• July 9, 2026 @5:30pm Regular Board Meeting
• July 15, 2026 @5:30pm FSS Graduation Event at EnVision Center
• July 16, 2026 @5:30pm Scholarship Reception
• August 13, 2026 @5:30pm Regular Board Meeting

New Business:
22-61 Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery moved to adopt:

A. Phone Recording Policy

Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.

Mr. Bovilsky explained that the policy was created to address complaints from tenants about the staff's phone etiquette and complaints from staff that they are being unfairly accused of rude behavior.

The policy is designed to adhere to state law, and there will be a recorded message that all callers will hear prior to a staff member answering the phone. For outgoing calls, staff members will have a message that they read informing the other party they are calling on a recorded line. If a person does not wish to be recorded, they are given the option to terminate the call. Mr. Bovilsky communicated that recordings can be requested under FOIA law as long as they are not on protected subjects. Any call that discloses a tenant name or personal information is protected, which is the majority of calls received by front line staff. Front line staff would keep a log of any calls that are not protected with who the call was to and date and time.

Commissioner Bermudez-Montgomery asked what would happen if a tenant did not want to be recorded to ensure that tenant issues are not missed being resolved due to the policy. Mr. Bovilsky confirmed that there are other avenues of communication available to tenants, such as an in-person meeting, written letter, email or text.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in Favor. Motion carried.

22-62 Commissioner Walcott moved to approve:

B. 25 Leonard Concept

Treasurer Church seconded the motion

Ms. Endo took the floor to present the early concept for the redevelopment of 25 Leonard. Ms. Endo stated that 25 Leonard is a Mutual Housing property that the Norwalk Housing Authority acquired and is currently uninhabitable. Architects and engineers confirmed that it would cost less to build new units on the site rather than try to fix, renovate and bring the building up to code.

The Sound Communities team worked with an architect to create renderings for board approval of the development concept. There would be 12 units in total with a mix of bedroom numbers. Ms. Endo is seeking board approval to proceed with predevelopment, which means hiring an architect, various engineers, and legal counsel to do design work and begin consultations with Zoning to get the site plan approved. Sound Communities is also requesting a bridge loan from the Norwalk Housing Authority in the amount of $300K to fund the predevelopment costs. The loan would be repaid in 2027 once Sound Communities closes on Leroy Downs.

Chair Penn-Williams asked for more information as to why Sound Communities needs a bridge loan and why it could not fund the predevelopment costs from funds created from other projects.

Ms. Endo discussed her budget.

Treasurer Church asked for further clarification on what would happen if the loan was not approved by the Board. Ms. Endo stated that 25 Leonard would sit uninhabitable for longer and the Norwalk Housing Authority is paying taxes and other expenses on the property despite not collecting any rent. She also stated that the HUD grant that was given for 25 Leonard would take longer to utilize, and while not mandatory, our congressional delegation wants us to spend the grant in the first 12-24 months after issuance.

Mr. Bovilsky added that another benefit of proceeding with 25 Leonard now is that the Norwalk Housing Authority would save significantly on bond fee legal costs by closing on the bond fees for 79 S Main and 25 Leonard at the same time and in one issuance.

Chair Penn-Williams suggested we table the request to see if the state will give us the predevelopment funds along with funding the project.

Board members expressed their support for the $300K loan but asked for some time to make a request of the state.

Mr. Bovilsky reminded the board that the timeline is tight for this project, so he strongly recommends that the Board come back soon. It may not be possible to bundle the projects for bond issuance with a delay.

Commissioner Walcott asked for further clarification on the timeline. Ms. Endo stated that she would like to have Zoning Approval completed prior to submitting to CHFA, and the CHFA submission would be due in September/October. Ms. Endo explained she would need an architect to be able to complete that work and she has an RFP ready for release.

Mr. Bovilsky also asked for clarification on the full funding gap on the project, which Ms. Endo confirmed was $3.5m.

Commissioner Walcott asked for clarification from Charmaine Davis-Ford as to how the Norwalk Housing Authority would be able to fund the loan. Ms. Davis-Ford confirmed that they are able to reallocate from bond fees which are unrestricted and can fund the loan if approved.

The board agreed to table the agenda item to provide time for a further funding review and Chair Penn-Williams will call a special meeting regarding the loan.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in Favor. Motion carried.

22-63 Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery moved to table:

C. 25 Leonard Predevelopment Loan

Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs

Nays
Treasurer John Church

With 4 Aye votes, the motion passed.

22-64 Treasurer Church moved to accept:

D. Interim Hiring Process

Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.

Mr. Bovilsky discussed the process in the policy and shared that the interim hiring process will only be in effect until a new HR director is hired. The new HR director will be tasked with reviewing and making recommendations to the policy to address the concerns raised by the Board.

Chair Penn-Williams said she liked the policy and wanted to know why it was only "interim". Mr. Bovilsky shared that in order to hire the HR Director and a few other critical hires the Norwalk Housing Authority needs an approved interim process. But the word "interim" can be removed and the Director of Personnel and Labor Relations can just as easily make any necessary changes.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

22-65 Treasurer Church moved to approve:

E. Nicole Ruffin to attend the Human Resources Professional Development Summitt & Law Symposium in Norwalk, CT

Vice Chair Bermudez Montgomery seconded the motion.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

22-66 Commissioner Walcott moved to accept:

F. Minutes- May 14th Regular Meeting

Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.

There were no edits to the meeting minutes.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs

Abstained
Treasurer John Church

Motion carried.

22-67 Treasurer Church moved to accept:

G. Minutes- June 4th Special Meeting

Vice Chair Bermudez Montgomery seconded the motion.

There were no edits to the meeting minutes.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

22-68 Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery moved to accept:

H. Department Reports

Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.

Charmaine Davis-Ford took the floor and presented the finance reports.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

Election of Officers:
22-69 Commissioner Walcott moved to nominate:

A. Brenda Penn-Williams as Chair of the Norwalk Housing Authority

Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.

There were no additional nominations from the floor.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

22-70 Chair Penn-Williams moved to nominate:

B. Liza Bermudez-Montgomery as Vice Chair of the Norwalk Housing Authority

Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
There were no additional nominations from the floor.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs

Abstained
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Motion carried.

22-71 Treasurer Church moved to nominate:

C. Isaac Walcott as Treasurer of the Norwalk Housing Authority

Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery seconded the motion.

There were no additional nominations from the floor.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs

At 7:26pm, Treasurer Church Moved to enter Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter. The Commissioners invited Adam Bovilsky, Lisa Endo, Nicole Ruffin and general counsel Donnal Lattarulo to join the Executive Session.

Motion seconded by Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

At 8:49pm Treasurer Church made a Motion to exit the Executive Session.
Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery seconded the motion.

Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Liza Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer John Church
Commissioner Issac Walcott
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.

No votes were taken based on the discussions in Executive Session.

22-72 Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery moved to adjourn the meeting.
Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.
All in favor. Motion carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50pm.

Respectfully submitted,

_______________________
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director