BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The first meeting of the Raleigh County Commission for the month of November was held Tuesday morning and saw a number of agenda items discussed.
Not the least significant among Tuesday’s docket was the audit report for the Raleigh County Housing Authority for the year of 2021, the details of which Chairman of the Raleigh County Housing Authority Ron Hedrick made an appearance to address.
Prior to the delineation of the report itself, and during Herdrick’s introduction by Commission President Dave Tolliver, the state of the housing authority prior to Hedrick’s appointment was compared and contrasted with that of the authority in the present day.
”Two years ago, the housing authority was in total disarray,” proclaimed Tolliver. “We appointed Ron to this board, and they’ve got a new building, they’ve gotten things worked out with HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) – he has done a tremendous, tremendous job with Raleigh County Housing Authority.”
According to Hedrick, the year saw some improvements, as well as areas where additional progress could be made.
”The good news is we didn’t finish 2021 in the hole,” he said, pointing out that the house in f authorities budget refrained from dipping into negative territory.
Also addressed was the learning curve experienced upon Hedrick’s appointment as chairman of the authority, and the assistance provided by the Beckley and Kanawha County Housing Authorities in working in conjunction with that of Raleigh County early on.
“Working with those two authorities, they were able to help us get to this point where we could get an audit done,” said Hedrick.
The surplus with which the authority came out of the year may not be as much a victory as it seems on the surface, however.
“Finishing with money left over from year actually punishes us,” Hedrick explained, referring to the classic adage, “if you don’t use it, you lose it,” as a means of expressing the situation at hand.
“There’s a good chance we may lose funds from the end of this year, and there’s a good chance we may lose a position.”
This refers to the funding necessary to fill the positions currently allotted by the authority, but it was clarified that this would not necessarily mean the authority would be required to lay off or fire a current employee, given the recent resignation and subsequently opened position slot of an authority employee.
“There’s a good chance we may lose that spot,” he continued. “But we are going to get the money back, we are going to get that spot back. We have put in a plan.”
He went on to address housing conditions in areas over which the authority has jurisdiction.
“If you don’t know, Raleigh County Housing Authority is over ten counties. It says ‘Raleigh County’ but it’s ten counties. We’ve got counties that really need some help and that we need to build a program in.”
Raleigh County Commissioner Greg Duckworth additionally praised the progress of the housing authority in the past two years under Hedrick’s direction, declaring,
“A year ago, I would have never thought that you could be this far that quick, because it was upside-down – the space, the staffing, the workspace” referring to the numerous deficits faced by the authority at that time of the leadership change.
“You’ve done a fabulous job,” Duckworth concluded.
In wrapping up his own statements, Hedrick acknowledged the staff and various individuals who have helped to propel the recent growth of the authority and declared hope for further progress for the 2022 audit.
“Thanks for your confidence in me and the board, and we hope that the 2022 report will be better than this,” posited Hedrick.
In concluding the agenda item, Commission President Dave Tolliver echoed Commissioner Duckworth’s sentiments regarding the success of the authority.
“I agree with [Commissioner] Greg [Duckworth,] exclaimed Tolliver. “A year ago, you’d have never thought that the housing authority would have a new building now on Robert C. Byrd Drive, and the attitude is second to none. So thank you, Ron.”
According to Hedrick, the audit for the year 2022 for the Raleigh County Housing Authority is set to begin next month.
Additional LOOTPRESS coverage for the Raleigh County Commission can be found here.
