The Steamboat Springs City Council and Routt County commissioners signaled a shared desire to tighten expectations for the Yampa Valley Housing Authority intergovernmental agreement during a joint meeting Tuesday, including considering term limits for board members and condensing the board’s size.

But the local government officials were split over how deep to go in revisiting the document that governs the organization.

The conversation came ahead of next week’s interviews by the commissioners and select councilors for approximately 18 applicants vying for as many as seven YVHA board seats, with several officials framing this round of appointments as a key moment to address public concerns about governance, transparency and trust in the housing authority.

City Attorney Dan Foote opened the presentation by reviewing key elements of the IGA, outlining how the multi-jurisdictional authority is structured and how its board members are appointed and removed. 

The agreement allows for a board of seven to 15 members, he explained, with one city councilor and one county commissioner serving by appointment from their own bodies and all remaining members appointed jointly by both the city and the county.​ 

Currently, the board is at its maximum size of 15 members. 

County seeks targeted changes, not overhaul

Commissioner Angelica Salinas, speaking on behalf of the three county commissioners, told council that the commissioners had already spent time in recent work sessions combing through the IGA and favored “targeted amendments” rather than a full rewrite of the YVHA governing document. 

She said commissioners identified outdated references — including mentions of a now-defunct local Habitat for Humanity chapter — that no longer reflect the current landscape, and suggested term limits as a priority change.​

The commissioners had previously discussed two consecutive three-year terms for appointed members, Salinas said, with a required one-term break before reapplying — with the goal of bringing “fresh perspective” onto the board while acknowledging that long-serving members often bring valuable institutional and historical knowledge to the table. 

“The only thing I’ll add is … we all agreed that we think that the board size is large and it doesn’t have to be that large,” said Commissioner Sonja Macys. “So as we think about the interviews next week, I think we need to decide, do you folks also see the board as large, and if so, how do you want to proceed with that conversation?” 

Councilor Amy Dickson argued that the IGA deserves a broader “holistic” review in light of YVHA’s rapid growth over recent years. She said she wanted to consider shifting the board toward a clearer governance role rather than the “working board” status it seems to currently have. 

“I would rather … put together a work group to really go through the entire IGA,” said Dickson. “I would love to add more transparency and what the housing authority reports back to the city and the county with.”

Councilor Dave Barnes, who raised concerns about board structure and public confidence in YVHA to his fellow councilors last week, backed the call for a more thorough review, saying the IGA contains “holes.” 

“Councilor (Bryan) Swintek pointed out last meeting that we shouldn’t be in the business of managing the housing authority, and I agree with that,” said Barnes. “But … it is our mandate to make sure that they are providing us with the information and the service to the customers that they’re saying they’re providing.”

The ‘elephant in the room’: YVHA leadership

Barnes then pushed colleagues to address what he called the “elephant in the room” — whether potential board members are willing, if necessary, to change YVHA’s leadership, given that the city and county cannot directly fire the authority’s executive director, Jason Peasley.  

“The housing authority has a confidence problem. They have a public perception problem in the community, and I think that’s going to be a big factor in selecting new board members,” said Barnes. “So I think that’s something that needs to come out.”

Barnes and Salinas went back and forth, with Salinas pressing the new councilor on the meaning behind his suggestion. 

“You want us to ask the applicants, ‘Would you fire the executive director?'” asked Salinas. 

“Yes,” replied Barnes. “I’m not calling for it — I’m asking if it was deemed necessary, would they?”

“And then you want us to appoint members to the board who answer ‘yes’?” Salinas said. 

“I’m just saying you should ask for some discovery,” said Barnes. “That’s all.” 

“So you’re suggesting that we ask, ‘If you were a board member, would you fire the executive director, yes or no?'” said Salinas. “Understood.” 

Macys then urged the group to first settle how to approach the IGA itself, noting the county has little appetite for a full-blown working group and comprehensive rewrite. Instead, she proposed that the city undergo whatever level of review it feels is necessary and then present proposed changes back to commissioners for consideration.​

Councilor Gail Garey agreed, suggesting that councilors discuss the scope of its review of the IGA at their upcoming goal-setting retreat on Friday, Dec. 19, to which the rest of council agreed. 

Sorting out board size and interview process

The meeting repeatedly bounced between three related issues: updating the IGA, nailing down next week’s interview questions and clarifying what the city and county want, both respectively and collectively, out of the next iteration of the YVHA board. 

On appointments, both bodies generally agreed the board does not necessarily need to remain at its current size. Barnes, however, took it a step further, suggesting that the board be “stepped down over time,” potentially by removing one seat every three years. 

Councilors Garey and Michael Buccino disagreed with Barnes, with Garey expressing her disinterest in “limiting future councils or future commissioners” but clarifying that “if we’ve got an empty spot, we don’t need to fill it if there’s not a qualified candidate.” 

In an email to the newspaper Wednesday, YVHA Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator John Fancher said seven positions “are either open or up for reappointment,” with board members Lou Tortora, Michael Ann LaMotte, Jim Beers, Reese Freeman and Patrick Phillips at the end of their terms. All, however, are allowed to reapply for board seats.

“In addition, Leah Wood is stepping down from the board as she and her family have relocated to Mexico, albeit temporarily,” wrote Fancher. “Finally, there is an open position resulting from the earlier resignation of a board member.”

Fancher also noted that, while YVHA is not involved in board member appointments, they responded to a request from council and the commissioners to identify “needed areas of experience” to be considered for the selection process. 

“Those areas include finance, development, property management, communications, and/or lived experience with housing insecurity,” he wrote. 

Salinas said the commissioners plan to look closely at candidates with development experience — especially those familiar with tools such as low-income housing tax credits — as well as applicants who bring lived experience with housing insecurity or deed-restricted housing. 

She also floated the idea of the two bodies using a scoring matrix in the future to avoid having to interview every applicant in years with large pools. 

The commissioners plan to use a set of previously used questions circulated by Council President Steve Muntean, which the commissioners and councilors will edit and narrow down on the day of interviews. According to City Manager Tom Leeson, Muntean, Garey and Dickson are the three councilors on the interviewing committee, along with county commissioners Macys, Salinas and Tim Redmond.

Council agreed to talk through the question list during next week’s council reports. 

“Something I’d like to see is just diversity of thought — dialogue, disagreements,” said councilor Swintek, a sentiment with which Salinas concurred. “It’s painful, it’s not fun when everybody isn’t all in ‘Kumbayah,’ but it generally is better. So that’s something I would like to see out of this interview process, is people who want constructive dialogue.”