December 1, 2020 - The Deep East Texas Council of Governments Board of Directors adopted the Housing Choice Voucher Program Administration Plan for the fiscal year of 2021 during its November 24, 2020 meeting. The plan may be viewed online here.
DETCOG Housing Director Janett Lewis explained this plan is brought before the board each year for approval, with any needed changes. The FY 2021 plan includes two major changes: updates to the waiting list preferences, and more opportunities for specialists to meet remotely with clients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In other business, the board approved the budget and parameters for the Solid Waste Grant Program, as recommended by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. In a typical year DETCOG has about $65,000 in funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for grants to local governments aimed at reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. However, this year DETCOG is required to develop a new Regional Solid Waste Management Plan to replace the current one which was adopted in 2004. An estimated $30,000 will be required for development of the new plan which will reduce the amount of funds available for local grants to $36,305.62.
The board also approved two items that came at the behest of the Texas Department of Transportation. The first added a new sentence at the bottom of DETCOG’s Title VI Nondiscrimination Plan that directs those who need information in a language other than English to contact DETCOG’s main office. The second clarifies DETCOG’s executive director as the organization’s signing authority.
Additional actions during the meeting include:
- Approved the annual review of the DETCOG investment policy with no changes.
- Authorized DETCOG’s participation in TexPool, a local government investment pool which is overseen by the State Comptroller of Public Accounts.
- Adopted a resolution that authorizes liability insurance for directors of the Forest Country Development Corporation, a non-profit entity that is considered a component unit of DETCOG.
- Adopted the annual utility allowance schedules for the Housing Program.
- Approved the 2021 board of directors meeting calendar. Regular meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of each month. At this time the Board is still conducting virtual meetings online, but once it is safe to do so will resume in-person meetings in a different county of the region each month.
