SUN EDITORIAL:

A poorly run agency

Lessons must be learned from mess left by North Las Vegas Housing Authority

Sunday, June 21, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

It has been clear for some time that the North Las Vegas Housing Authority irresponsibly handled money, approved tenants for public housing without verifying income, and entered contracts without allowing bids.

As reported Friday by Timothy Pratt in the Las Vegas Sun, a second audit confirmed what an earlier one found — that the housing authority served people poorly and squandered millions of dollars. Among the latest findings was that the agency in 2007 and 2008 overdrew $1.3 million from a bank for its Section 8 housing voucher program and ran up an $800,000 deficit for that program.

Yet to come are the results of two other audits, including a city review of the housing authority’s Section 8 program and a comprehensive investigation by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department. We expect these audits not only will confirm the bad news, but also will provide fresh details that underscore the depth of the problems that riddled the agency.

One thing is evident. The people responsible for this mess should be held accountable and should be prosecuted, if warranted.

The public deserves thorough explanations from former agency Executive Director Don England, who resigned in January, and from the agency’s board, which includes members of the North Las Vegas City Council.

Having turned over programs to the Las Vegas Housing Authority, the North Las Vegas agency still controls some assets. But the agency appears headed to the graveyard as Clark County, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas continue to discuss plans to combine their housing authorities.

If a combined agency materializes, it should learn from the considerable mistakes made by the North Las Vegas Housing Authority.

All money earmarked for subsidized housing should be spent only on those people who qualify for assistance. All contracts should be competitively bid when possible, and audits should be performed frequently to ensure that resources aren’t squandered. Most important, a housing authority must have competent leadership if it wishes to earn the public’s trust.