Hobby Area Management District Board of Directors met Oct. 14

Hobby Area Management District Board of Directors met Oct. 14.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

DETERMINE QUORUM; CALL TO ORDER.

The Board of Directors of the Hobby Area Management District held a regular meeting on Thursday, October 14, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, 8181 Airport Blvd., Moody Conference Room, Houston, Texas 77061, inside the boundaries of the District, open to the public, “Masks Suggested, Social Distancing Recommended”, and the roll was called of the members of the Board, to-wit:

Position 1, Elizabeth Castro-Gray

Position 2, Helen Bonsall, Chairman

Position 3, Liliana Rambo

Position 4, Ann Collum

Position 5, Vincent Marquez

Position 6, Joe Edd Nelson, Secretary

Position 7, Keyur Amin

Position 8, Darryl Bailey

Position 9, Jesse Levine

Position 10, Katie Jones

Position 11, Charles Watts, Vice Chair

Position 12, Anthony Macias

Position 13, Christopher Mig!

and all the above were present, thus constituting a quorum. Also, present were Beth Strope, Executive Director, and Gail Melancon, Hobby Area Management District; Susan Hill, Josh Hawes, and Leticia Rodriguez, all of Hawes Hill & Associates, LLP; Tim Austin, Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP; Debbie Bessire, Equi-Tax, Inc.; and Jennifer Abad, Municipal Accounts and Consulting. Others attending the meeting were: Mahmoud Salehi and Thomas Artz, Cobb Fendley & Associates. Chairman Bonsall called the meeting to order at 1:09 p.m.

RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments.

APPROVE MINUTES OF BOARD MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021.

Upon a motion made by Director Macias, seconded by Director Marquez, the Board voted unanimously to approve the Minutes of September 9, 2021, as presented.

RECEIVE ASSESSMENT COLLECTION AND DELINQUENCY REPORTS.

Ms. Bessire went over the Assessment Collection and Delinquency Report included in the Board materials. She reported a 98% collection rate on the 2020 assessments, $345,039 in uncertified values for 2020, and 128 unsettled accounts.

RECEIVE BOOKKEEPER'S REPORT AND APPROVE PAYMENT OF INVOICES.

Ms. Abad presented the Bookkeeper's Report and went over invoices included in the Board materials. There was a general discussion regarding the HPD overtime program. Upon a motion made by Director Nelson, seconded by Director Marquez, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Bookkeeper's financial report and approved payment of all invoices, as presented.

CONSIDER RESOLUTION APPOINTING INVESTMENT OFFICER.

Mr. Austin reviewed the Resolution Changing and Appointing Investment Officer, which replaces the previous accounting firm and appoints Municipal Accounts & Consulting as Investment Officer in its place. Because the position of investment officer carries the responsibility of assuring compliance with the Texas Public Funds Investment Act and requires periodic continuing education and training on changes in the law, districts customarily rely on their accounting firms to handle this job. Mr. Austin next reviewed the Annual Disclosure Statement from the Investment Officer and Bookkeeper. He reported under the Public Funds Investment Act the investment officer and bookkeeper are required to file a statement annually disclosing any conflicts of interest. He reported the investment officer and bookkeeper confirmed no conflicts of interest.

CONSIDER DEPOSITORY PLEDGE AGREEMENT.

Mr. Austin provided an overview of the Amended Exhibit A to the Depository Pledge Agreement.

CONSIDER RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE AUTHORIZED DEPOSITORY INSTITUTIONS AND ADOPTING LIST OF QUALIFIED BROKER/DEALERS WHOM THE DISTRICT MAY ENGAGE IN INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS.

Mr. Austin reviewed the updated Broker/Dealer list with whom the District may engage in investment transactions and stated the updated list will be amended and reviewed by the investment officer.

Upon a motion made by Director Collum, seconded by Director Levine, the Board voted unanimously to (1) adopt the Resolution Changing and Appointing Investment Officer, as presented; (2) accept the Disclosure Statement for Bookkeeper and Investment Officer from Municipal Accounts & Consulting, as presented; and (3) adopt the Amended List of Qualified Broker/Dealers Whom the District May Engage in Investment Transactions with the following changes as noted in discussion: removal of JPMorgan/Chase and revision of the name of BB&T to Truist Financial.

RECEIVE AND CONSIDER QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES; APPROVE RECOMMENDATION OF ENGINEERING FIRM; AND AUTHORIZE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH FIRM FOR BROADWAY PAVER PROJECT.

Ms. Strope provided the Board with an overview of the proposals received for engineering services. She recommended awarding the contract for engineering services to Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. After a full discussion, a motion made by Director Nelson, seconded by Director Watts, the Board voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc., and authorized the Executive Director to negotiate a contract with the firm for the Broadway paver project.

RECEIVE AND CONSIDER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS:

Ms. Strope proposed consideration of two new community grant programs, describing the benefits and possible eligibility requirements of each, as described in the Board materials.

a. Façade Grant; and

Ms. Strope explained the Business Façade Grant as a reimbursable grant designed to encourage business owners within the boundaries of the Hobby Area District ("HAD") to improve the appearance and/or functionality of the front/visible portion of their property.

b. CPTED Grant.

Ms. Strope explained the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (“CPTED") reimbursement grant as a multi-disciplinary approach to crime prevention that uses urban and architectural design and the management of built environments. The CPTED strategies aim to reduce victimization, deter offender decisions that precede criminal acts, and build sense of community among inhabitants so they can gain territorial control of area, reduce crime, and minimize fear of crime. Strategies include installing special lighting and plant materials that reduce access and opportunities for crime. She noted that Ms. Melancon is receiving training in CPTED principles, and the HPD DRT officers can assist with businesses wishing to earn CPTED certification.

After a full discussion, a motion duly made by Director Castro-Gray, seconded by Director Amin, the Board voted unanimously to approve the establishment of both the Façade and CPTED community grants programs and charged the appropriate committees to develop policies and procedures for implementation.

NEXT MEETING - NOVEMBER 8, 2021.

The Board confirmed the date of its next meeting is Monday, November 8, 2021.

THE BOARD REVISTED ITEM 5: RECEIVE BOOKKEEPER'S REPORT AND APPROVE PAYMENT OF INVOICES.

Ms. Strope reported the Hobby Area Management District's (“HAMD") employee life, short-term and long-term disability insurance programs expire at the end of the month. The district's insurance broker offered her quotes for lower-cost policies equivalent to the ones now expiring, and she recommended changing to these new underwriters. After a full discussion, and upon motion duly made by Director Collum, seconded by Director Nelson, the Board voted unanimously to authorize Ms. Strope to pursue replacement policies as recommended and as described. Costs of replacing policies will be included in next month's financial reports.

ADJOURN.

There being no further business to come before the Board, Chair Bonsall adjourned the meeting at 2:09 p.m.

https://hadistrict.org/accountability/minutes/