The Montgomery County Council has been given the authority to put the Housing Opportunities Commission under the microscope of the county’s inspector general.
Legislation approved in the Maryland General Assembly allows the nine-member council to assign oversight duties to the inspector general’s office, which investigates government operations for efficiency and looks into allegations of abuse, waste and fraud.
“There have been concerns about the management, the facility that they operate, expenditures and whether those expenditures are being used as best they might,” said state Sen. Ben Kramer, a Wheaton Democrat, who advanced the legislation after hearing concerns of what he said was a lack of transparency about the way the HOC is run.
“I think it’s important that the oversight be available,” Kramer said. “They need to feel that, ‘OK, it is being run properly and is being managed properly.’ That tax dollars are being utilized. And unless we have that inspector general in place, then we don’t know that for certain.”
The HOC, which operates on a $6.8 million budget, is a county agency that acquires, owns and leases property for moderate- and low-income residents.
The housing authority’s board has been in a long-running dispute with members of Macedonia Baptist Church who believe that HOC property at 5204 River Road in Bethesda holds remains of members of the historically black church and they have called for a memorial.
Members of the church and other supporters have been arrested for disrupting HOC public meetings. Charges in the most recent cases have been dropped by prosecutors.
Asked if frustration over the impasse with the church was one of the concerns he has heard about the HOC, Kramer said it was, although there were others.
Kramer has said in the past that people he has spoken with are worried about a lack of transparency on the part of the agency, poor communication with the public and not enough opportunities for the public to weigh in with input. He has also heard concerns that the agency has not shown enough interest in bringing about a resolution to the conflict with the church.
State legislation approved this year also gives the council the authority to put Montgomery College under the inspector general’s watch.
Stacy Spann, the executive director of the HOC, claimed it was a “mischaracterization” to say that Kramer’s latest bill focused solely on his organization.
“It wasn’t simply HOC in that bill. There were a number of other organizations as well. This is something that Sen. Kramer has been doing for some time,” he said.
Both Spann and HOC Chairwoman Jackie Simon said they supported Kramer’s bill and that the organization is already audited during the year by outside agencies.
“I think there was a misunderstanding that we weren’t subject to the scrutiny anyway based on all our financial audits,” Simon said. “This is one more group we submit our financial records to,” she said.
Simon said the HOC makes all of its financial records “readily available. It’s not information that we’ve withheld from everyone.” she said.
County Council President Nancy Navarro said the council had previously supported Kramer’s bill and anticipated that the council would address the issue this summer.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
