The Flagstaff Housing Authority board voted unanimously to give current Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) participants priority in receiving standard Section 8 vouchers if EHV funding is discontinued and to adopt several administrative updates, including changes required under the Violence Against Women Act.

Sarah Dhar, director, and Charisse Ferretto Agalar, voucher program manager, told the board the authority received 29 EHV allocations originally and had about 21 active EHV participants at the time of the meeting. Dhar and Ferretto Agalar said HUD issued waiver guidance allowing authorities to prioritize existing EHV households for issuance of standard Section 8 vouchers, which would let those families bypass portions of the wait list. Ferretto Agalar said the authority could receive an incentive of $1,000 per voucher transferred if conversions occur by the HUD deadline in February 2026 and estimated the authority could secure up to about $21,000 in additional Section 8 administrative fees if all eligible vouchers transfer.

Board member Ashley Page asked for operational details; staff said the transition is an administrative change to the voucher increment rather than a new landlord approval process. Page moved to approve the local-preference resolution; Tatum Covey seconded and the board approved the measure by voice vote.

Separately, Kurt (staff) presented wording updates to the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy and the administrative plan to align with the Violence Against Women Act. Kurt said the changes were largely non-substantive wording updates that reiterate that VAWA prohibits denying housing based on victim status and that eligible victims have the right to emergency transfers. The board voted to adopt both VAWA-related resolutions in separate motions; both passed unanimously.

Tracy French presented the HUD operating-fund allocation for low-income public housing and said the authoritys acceptance of the form is required to receive the federal operating subsidy. French identified the operating subsidy amount as $553,000. Board member Tatum Covey moved to accept the HUD operating allocation and Ashley Page seconded; the board approved the allocation unanimously.

The board also heard from staff that HOTMA updates for Section 8 were postponed so staff could finish work before bringing them back to the board.

The meeting closed with no public comments and the chair adjourning at 9:50 a.m.