Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) is losing its executive director, Shelly Perkins. This is an excellent development. It presents the HACD board with a fresh opportunity to address the unprofessional workplace culture there, by hiring an outsider and encouraging additional management departures. Having observed HACD for about nine months and collected hundreds…
Tag: county government
DeKalb’s ‘Suburban’ issue of fire safety
***Update 8/6/2022*** DeKalb city council is expected to approve an intergovernmental agreement during its regular meeting on August 8 that specifies a developer buying the Suburban property, the city annexing it and connecting it to city water, and DeKalb County providing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds of $862,500 for the water infrastructure improvements. Agenda…
Among the issues plaguing delivery of care in Illinois skilled nursing facilities
Almost a year ago, in the cause of shedding the landlord collectively known as Hunter Properties, City of DeKalb signed a settlement agreement with them. DeKALB – After a series of unresolved code violations, the City of DeKalb and Hunter Properties have reached a tentative agreement which will include a change of ownership of four…
Nursing home sales and ownership, and our local situation
Recently the DeKalb County Board signed a contract with Marcus & Millichap (M&M) that has two phases: first, M&M as consultant in deciding what to do with our DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center (DCRNC); and secondly, M&M as broker of a sale with a 3% commission attached. If this sounds like a conflict of…
We deserve an examination of the nursing home failures
The DeKalb County Board used more than an hour of its Committee of the Whole meeting last week to start discussing options in determining the fate of DeKalb County Nursing & Rehab Center (DCNRC) in responding to its financial crisis. In my opinion, the board and administrator have acted responsibly and transparently from the moment…
Letter urges investigation of the housing authority’s contracts with the mayor’s IT firm
Derek Van Buer’s latest letter to DeKalb County Board regarding Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) urges authorities to investigate evident irregularities with HACD’s service contracts with the DeKalb mayor’s firm, Sundog IT, including allegations that HACD is not following HUD procurement rules nor its own procurement policies in approving and executing contracts…
Series: Housing authority roundup
During the summer of 2021, City of DeKalb did a favor for the Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) by approving a plan to make a segment of North Sixth Street one-way to relieve the housing authority’s parking problem. There was no evidence of any parking issue. Meeting minutes and requests for information…
Letter informs DeKalb County of an illegal stipend paid to a housing authority commissioner
Derek Van Buer has been filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the housing authority since last summer, and now is summarizing concerns he’s found for the DeKalb County Board (and where applicable, HUD officials). The first letter to the county, which alleges the housing authority has failed to follow travel reimbursement policies, is…
Letter requests oversight of housing authority’s business travel
DeKalb resident Derek Van Buer sent me a copy of a letter he is sharing with members of the DeKalb County Board and officials of the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) regarding the Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) and work-related travel restrictions. DeKalb County Board is the appointive body for…
Another source of revenue loss for DeKalb County Nursing & Rehab is confirmed
The latest on the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center (DCRNC) financial situation comes from a 35-minute discussion during DeKalb County Board’s Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting November 10. I’ve written about revenue losses due to low census, and increased expenses because of the facility’s dependence on outside agencies for staffing. Now county staff…