Bowling Green city commissioners took an easy start to their first meeting of 2009, with much of the brief meeting occupied by mutual appointments to the various city-connected boards on which commission members serve.

Incoming Commissioner Catherine Hamilton was named mayor pro tempore, to preside in the absence of Mayor Elaine Walker. That position traditionally goes to the commissioner who got the most votes in the preceding election.

Hamilton also was appointed to the Downtown Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors, the Job Development Incentive Program Committee, the Operation P.R.I.D.E. board and the Greenways Commission.

Commissioner Joe Denning, who was absent, nevertheless was chosen for new terms on the Bowling Green-Warren County Mobile Radio Communications Committee, Bowling Green Enterprise Community Board and University District Review Committee.

Commissioner Brian “Slim” Nash was reappointed to the Bowling Green-Warren County Welfare Center Board, Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force and Bowling Green Municipal Utilities Board, while Commissioner Bruce Wilkerson went back on the Housing Assistance and Development Services Board, the Contractors Licensing Board and Bowling Green Audit Committee.

Rounding out the reappointments, Walker received new terms on the Bowling Green-Warren County Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Operation P.R.I.D.E. board.

Housing grant

At a nonvoting afternoon work session, modernization coordinator Dale Eichelberger of the Housing Authority of Bowling Green asked for “just a little bit of help from the city” in seeking $2.5 million to $3 million from the federal economic stimulus package - not financial aid, but some technical help in writing the application.

That’s part of $34 million to be distributed through the state for housing programs. The housing authority wants to buy perhaps 10 houses that have gone into foreclosure, do any necessary repairs, and resell them for the low appraised value. Another 10 houses would be built new on vacant lots in the Enterprise Community, the economically depressed northwest side of town.

Nash asked if the new effort would seek more Section 8 housing assistance vouchers from the city’s limited supply. Alice Burks, city Housing & Community Development director, said the housing authority’s homeownership program already has use of some Section 8 vouchers, and wouldn’t be asking for more. The Section 8 program isn’t even taking applications now, since so few people who hold those vouchers now will give them up in the current economic crisis, she said.

Wilkerson asked what standards people must meet to qualify for homeownership assistance. Burks said applicants have to meet a number of financial guidelines, go through credit counseling and homeownership preparation offered by the housing authority, and put some of their own money toward downpayment.

Access is limited to low- and moderate-income households, said Abraham Williams, housing authority executive director. The federal cutoff for those categories is $21,550 annual income for a two-person household - that’s low-income status - or $51,750 for two people to qualify as moderate-income. The amount is adjusted depending on how many people are in the household.

Qualified buyers for those houses could get downpayment assistance of up to 50 percent of the sale price through the housing authority’s related programs, Williams said.

Procurement cards

At the regular evening meeting, commissioners voted 4-0 to update the city’s procurement card policy.

The new policy will cut the number of employees with procurement cards from 123 to 41, City Manager Kevin DeFebbo said. They could only be used at authorized vendors for things like emergency purchase of equipment, and would have limits from $1,000 to $5,000.

The city’s current banking deal with U.S. Bank allows an upgrade at no cost, according to Chief Financial Officer Jeff Meisel, primary architect of the new policy. The new cards will be easier to monitor, with online tracking of purchases available anytime and non-business-related merchants blocked from accepting the cards, he said.