The Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) Board met on Thursday to discuss flat rent decreases at Oak Court Apartments, the housing salary study, and a letter of support for a local business.
FLAT RENT DECREASES AND PAYMENT STANDARDS
Housing Director Theresa Tahran brought two resolutions to the board for approval. The resolutions would decrease flat rents at Oak Court Apartments for efficiency units to $652 and one-bedroom units to $656 beginning April 1, 2027, and a decrease in payment standards for the Housing Choice Vendor Program. This will be the first year that flat rents have decreased since at least 2019, according to Tahran. The decreases stem from a review of fair market rents (FMR) set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and from calculating rents based on Crookston Housing’s 80% take for Oak Court and 110% for Section 8. Tahran was surprised by the decrease and expects occupancy subsidies to increase in 2027 due to the rent decreases. “So Oak Court will actually decrease in their efficiency and one bedrooms, roughly around $40, and for Section 8, those payment standards will actually go down, and like I said, we have not seen this in many years, so that will probably most likely affect some of our landlords and our tenants that are new leases. Hopefully, we see a turnaround going forward.”
HOUSING SALARY STUDY
CHEDA Executive Director Darin Selzler presented the results from the housing salary study conducted in June 2026. The survey was conducted following the wage equity study conducted by the City of Crookston for their employees earlier this year. Similar to the city, CHEDA’s study looked to provide a median range compared to other similar communities. The results led to CHEDA seeking to follow the approach taken by the city and their recently approved contract with AFSCME and seek a three-year scale with steps, resulting in a 4.2% average increase in wages for 2026 and 2.25% increases in 2027 and 2028.
Based on those numbers, Selzler told the board they would have a $7,000 shortfall under the budgeted wage amounts, but funds from an unused salary fund could offset the wage increase. “It’s just a really nice baseline to have that data moving forward, as we did with the city of Crookston. Obviously, we value our employees, want to retain them, and pay equitable salaries, and these studies kind of get us to that point, and this study showed a median average of where they should be. So we’re not the highest, not the lowest. Just try to jump in the middle there with this housing study. It does affect three employees, which is important to have that data moving forward.”
The board decided to table approval of the wage increases because three board members were absent from the meeting and wanted more data on the financial impact of the proposed increases. Overall, Selzler was satisfied with the discussions and will bring additional data forward at a future meeting.
CHILDCARE GRANT UPDATE AND PLAINS TO PAGES SUPPORT LETTER
Community Development Director Taylor Wyum provided an update on the childcare grant requests approved at the August 27 meeting. She informed the board that two of the childcare providers had completed their projects and are in the process of submitting final project costs and before-and-after photos. The third project is being reviewed to see if costs can be reduced before moving forward.
Wyum also spoke about a request from Plains to Pages for a letter of support as they apply for the American Crystal Sugar Community Roots Giving Grant. Plains to Pages is a new local business focused on providing literary resources and early childhood educational materials to local daycare facilities, schools, and caregivers through its Little Learners initiative. The board reached a consensus to issue a letter of support, and Wyum appreciates the board’s support in helping these businesses expand their opportunities in Crookston. “They asked if we’d be willing to provide a letter of support stating that we support their project, and their project is aimed at literary resources and literacy skills, especially for children, probably elementary school and under age group. So I asked the board if they’d like to support this organization and provide a letter of support, which can be really helpful when a grant review committee is looking at what they want to fund. Seeing local support can be really powerful, so we’re happy to be able to provide them that support in their application, and we hope that they’re successful.”
According to Wyum, Plains to Pages will start off as a mobile service, but they hope to open a storefront in downtown Crookston in the future.
The next CHEDA Board meeting will take place on Thursday, October 29, at 7:00 a.m. at Valley Technology Park, 510 County Road 71 in Crookston.
