The Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) Board met on Thursday to accept the fiscal year 2025 audited financial statements, approve a flat rent decrease and capital fund plan, and hold a public hearing on the 2027 annual plan and public housing plans, including the 2027 Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan (ACOP) and capital fund plan.
2025 AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT REVIEW
Brian Opsahl with Brady Martz and Associates presented the 2025 audited financial statements to the board. During his presentation, he noted that the audit received an unmodified, or clean, opinion and saw most numbers stay the same as in 2024. Some of the positives for the audit include a net positive of $3,896,760 and unrestricted funds of $2,470,981. Some negatives included decreases in overall cash and in unrestricted low-rent housing funds. The significant issue addressed by Opsahl was the separation of duties when reporting journal entries. CHEDA Executive Director Darin Selzler appreciates Brady Martz and Associates for the work they do in preparing the audit and presenting it to the board. He noted that CHEDA has had some turnover, which led to a separation of duties situation, but it has been resolved and will not be an issue in future audits. “It was nice to get that final report for the 2025 audit. It’s something we’ve been working on for a long time. A lot of work goes into that. You know, it was a good report. There wasn’t anything real significant or any surprises as far as the findings. There were some minor things as far as separation or duties and different things, which we’ve cleaned up. A lot of that was in reference to some turnover that we’ve had over at CHEDA, but it’s nice to get those out in front and center and to kind of see where we can improve. So we’ll take those suggestions and move forward.”
TEMPORARY DOWNTOWN BUSINESS SIGNAGE
Board member Morgan Hibma added an item to the agenda to discuss the possibility of assisting downtown Crookston businesses with temporary signage during the Highway 2 reconstruction project, which is set to begin in May 2027. Community Development Director Taylor Wyum was supportive of the idea, but the board raised questions about any variances for temporary signage and whether any downtown businesses currently have or could obtain business interruption insurance. Wyum would like to see the discussion continue at future meetings, especially as MnDOT plans an open house in early 2027 to give business owners a chance to discuss issues arising from the road closures. “I think Morgan said it really well when she said, you know, we work really hard to bring new business into town or to try to support newer, expanding businesses, and it’s also really important that we thank and appreciate the businesses that we already have. So anything we can do to help them through what could be a challenging time with construction right in front of their doorstep, I think, is a really good thing.”
2027 PUBLIC HOUSING PLANS PUBLIC HEARING
A public hearing was held related to the 2026 public housing capital fund plan, definition of significant amendment, 2027 public housing capital fund plan, 2027 public housing admissions and continued occupancy plan (ACOP), and lease changes, and the 2027 housing choice voucher administrative plan. No public comments were made during the hearing, and the hearing was closed. During discussion on these items later in the meeting, board member Brian LaPlante wanted to table any discussion and action on this item until the board had more time to review the multiple plans presented to them. Housing Director Theresa Tahran had sent the board packet out on Monday and thought the board members had enough time to review it. Board member Hibma asked Tahran whether any of the plans required immediate action, and she said there was time for further review by the board before any action was needed.
The board did vote to approve the 2026 public housing capital fund plan of $110,339 and significant amendment. Tahran explained to the board that the plan was part of a five-year plan approved in 2023, but must be reviewed and approved every year. The approval is needed to have capital funds distributed from Minnesota Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The board agreed to table the discussion for a special meeting on Thursday, November 5, at 7:00 a.m. at Valley Technology Park.
