Information from February 29th DEMHRA Meeting and January 25th minutes:
Chair's Report:
Mr. Jerome Rogers has been officially appointed Board Chair by the Governor. He did not have much to report at this time.
Executive Director's Report:
Mr. Sutton received a phone call from a tenant regarding lot rent assistance. He looked into this inquiry and referred to Section 7022 of Chapter 70, Lot Rent Assistance Program. This is between the landowner and the tenant. Certain criteria must be met such as income, age, etc. He sent a copy of Section 7022 to the tenant. The new mileage rate effective January l, 2024, is now $.67 per mile.
Legal Counsel Report:
Changing Fates and Kings Cliff Park are in the process of paying, and County Seat Gardens has paid.
Delinquent Parks Report:
The following six parks did not send in third quarter payments and are delinquent. They will be referred for legal action by the Board council.
- Fishhook MHP
- Hecker Properties
- Kelly's Trailer Court
- Sandhill MHP
- The Crossings at Oak Orchard
- Upcountry MHP
Arbitration (Update on Status of Open Dockets):
- Docket 4-2019 — Wild Meadows HOA vs. Wild Meadows LLC— Superior Court — As of 2/20/2024, There is an additional briefing due next month concerning the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Shady Park. Argument before the Superior Court is scheduled for May 10, 2024.
- Docket 04-2020 —Wild Meadows HOA vs. Wild Meadows, LLC — Superior Court — As of 2/20/2024, Argument was held before the Superior Court on September 22, 2023 and a follow-up call with the Court following the remand of the Shady Park case was held in January. The matter is now under submission.
- Docket 02-2021 Ridgewood Manor vs Ridgewood Manor II LLC— Arbitration — As of 2/20/2024, Email from J. Sharp - The parties are to email me their positions on the scope of my review by the end of the month. Last week, one of the attorneys mentioned to me that they are not opposed to a continuance. If the parties agree, I do not object. As I understand it, they are briefing other matters and will be doing so over the next several weeks.
- Docket 03-2021 — Canterbury Crossing HOA vs. Canterbury Crossing MHP — Superior Court — As of 2/20/2024 there is no change — it was noted - 12/01/2023, case is still in Superior Court, with briefing scheduled beginning at the end of January into June.
- Docket 04-2021 — Pot Nets Lakeside HOA vs. Lakeside Community— Superior Court — As of 2/20/2024 there is no change - it was noted 12/01/2023, case is still in Superior Court, with briefing scheduled beginning at the end of January into June.
Rent Increase Certification Requests:
There were 35 violation letters and rent certifications in January. See § 7051A. Rent increase; health or safety violations in Title 25 for additional information.
2024 Annual Community Registration Forms:
176 forms were sent out to our communities. As of February 20, 2024, 124 were returned. This leaves a balance of 52 not completed yet. Community owners have until January 31st to return them.
Update on Parks for Sale:
- Dalton's MHP: 2/21/24 per owner property not sold yet.
Update on Parks Going Through Change in Use:
- Timberlane - We have not received any new applications in the past two months. They began with 104 and of the 86 applications received so far, 15 were relocatable, 64 were non-relocatable, 7 were abandoned, leaving 18.
- Lynch's MHP — The number of affected tenants is 8. We received 4 applications that include 2 abandoned and 2 evictions. There are still 4 vacant trailers where the tenants were either evicted, or abandoned their homes. Three previously approved non-relocatable homes were approved for demolition by landowner.
- Pine Haven - There are 9 applications. Of those, 1 was relocatable, 8 were non-relocatable, and 0 were abandoned. There are 26 remaining to apply until February. Mr. Malone, from the Department of Justice, added that they have been telling the tenants they need to apply for benefits. They have also been reaching out the CLAS1 who is working with a number of the tenants. The landowners have been making separate private deals to get them to vacate, which is separate from the tenants also receiving benefits from DEMHRA if they apply. The February 25th deadline can be extended if the landowner so chooses. Ms. Rhoads requested clarification on the number remaining. Mr. Malone indicated there are 7 mobile homes and 8 RV's remaining according to some of the residents he has talked to. One non-relocatable RV application was tentatively approved at our last meeting for $3000.00 pending proof of Title. Another non-relocatable RV was approved for $3000.00, and a mobile home was also approved for relocation expenses of $12,000.
Financial Matters:
- Since inception on April 1, 2004 the Authority collected $18,582,709.00 and paid out $3,365,074.00
- Trust Fund as of January 31st is $13,262,699.00
- The 2024 Legal Fund Year-to-Date is $22,429.00.
- The December CPI/U is 5.147%, effective January 16th. This would equate to an increase of 6.07% for a one-year lease beginning on May and June. The new CPI/U should be out this week.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday April 4, 2024 at 1:30. Our address is 1979 S. State Street in Dover.