Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority: Board of Commissioners (May 21, 2026)

By Hunter Hill, Kansas City Documenter

See more about this meeting at Documenters.org

Summary

• The board discussed plans to add signage around various properties providing contact information and promoting better communication with tenants about damage or needs for buildings and apartments.
• Board members were briefed on the ongoing hot water problem at Wyandotte Towers and discussed the apartment building’s future.
• Planned renovations on various properties will lead to several residents being relocated.

Notes

New Commissioner

• Judge Tony Martinez swore in new board member Brennan Crawford. Crawford is executive director and chief executive officer of Build WyCo, a community housing organization.

Executive Director’s report

• Award
  • Executive Director Andrea Tapia noted a proclamation from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, lauding the authority’s work in promoting equal housing opportunities for all community members.
  • “We’re in the process of getting it framed,” Tapia said. “We’re just very proud to be recognized as a housing authority that believes in fair housing, treating people with respect and dignity and being recognized for what we do here in Wyandotte County.”
  • KCKHA partnered with the Unified Government to promote and celebrate April as Fair Housing Month.
• HUD Work and Dignity Coalition
  • Tapia presented a video clip of Scott Turner, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, introducing the department’s Work & Dignity Coalition. The proposed changes under the coalition would give “public housing authorities (PHAs) and Section 8 project-based rental assistance (PBRA) owners flexibility to enforce work requirements and time limits to non-elderly, non-disabled, work-capable adults in HUD-funded housing.”
  • Tapia said participation in the coalition is voluntary at this point but also termed the proposal a “possible mandate.”
  • HUD representatives came to the KCKHA in April to discuss the coalition, and Tapia said she is working to have HUD talk with the board at a later date.
  • In the video, Turner characterized the current system as “incentivizing unemployment.” 
  • Vice Chairman J.D. Rios took issue with that, claiming that Wyandotte’s Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency Program is among the best in the country. 
  • He said the authority is “reaching out to our residents and encouraging them, and assisting them in becoming self-sufficient, and to say that we’re incentivizing helplessness and not wanting (residents) to prosper, I take exception to that.”
• Physical Needs Assessment
  • Staff is reviewing the needs assessment conducted of all of the authority’s properties. They will bring the information before the board once it is finalized.
• Signage
  • Communications Coordinator Rion Tapia presented signage planned for public housing facilities. It was noted that there had been some concerns about residents not knowing what to do or whom to contact when there were problems in their homes.
  • The proposed signage would encourage residents to report damages and provide relevant contact information. This is an effort to standardize communication across all locations. 
  • Signs will be placed near building entrances, elevators and bathrooms. Though excluded from the presentation, there was discussion about adding QR codes to the signs so residents could also place online work orders through the website portal.  
• Occupancy and Resident Selection
  • Move-ins dropped from 42 in March to 13 in April. 
  • Brandi Fulson, housing operations manager, said the decrease was related to a lack of units, not a lack of interest, and that the authority had 201 units that are not ready to rent. She said the authority had filled 14 of the 17 units ready for move-in this month.
    • Fulson said the authority had been able to reduce the time to lease an apartment when made available to three to five days. On average, the authority receives 30 applications a day and processes about 150 applications a week.
  • Data presented to the board showed occupancy at 86%, but staff said it is effectively at 92% when considering factors related to two properties. 
• HR and Wyandotte Towers
  • A human resources staff member said the authority is trying to get fully staffed and said it had a 12% turnover rate for April.
  • The west side of the Wyandotte Towers building is having hot water problems. Jerry Galvin, director of facilities/development and revitalization, said the problem involved shower valves — 135 of which had been replaced. 
  • Wyandotte Towers is “within a couple of percentages of meeting obsolescence.” There are plans to have another discussion with the group that assessed the building. They anticipate that the revised report will show the building has met obsolescence.
  • This opened new routes for the future of Wyandotte Towers that KCKHA will have to discuss later.
• Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
  • The board discussed ongoing renovations to various properties, including Chalet Manor, which has 43 vacancies. The authority is creating a resident handbook along with the proposed renovations. 
  • Several residents will need to relocate as a result of the renovations. Alejandra Tarango, LIHTC compliance specialist, said that anyone forced to relocate could move back into their original unit after the renovations are complete.
• Residents will receive a 30-day notice if they need to relocate.
• A form was sent to residents to gauge their needs during the relocation process. The form includes relocation preferences, disability and family size.   
• Relocated residents will be required to present a copy of their most recent 30-day utility bill. Transfer fees but not active balances will be paid during the relocation process.
• Construction will start with vacant units. Construction is estimated to take 90 to 120 days for each building, with completion around September 2027.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• What is the projected cost of the renovations that are planned under LIHTC? 
• If Wyandotte Towers is deemed obsolete, what will that mean for its residents?

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