HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	81
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT AUDIT OF THE MAYOR WRIGHT HOMES TENANT ASSOCIATION.

     WHEREAS, Mayor Wright Homes (often referred to as "Mayor Wright Housing") was the first post-World War II project by the Hawaii Housing Authority, and was dedicated in 1953 and later named after the late Mayor of Honolulu, George F. Wright, in 1958; and

     WHEREAS, facilities in Mayor Wright Homes have continuously suffered from maintenance problems, property damage, broken windows, sewage problems, trash problems, and other physical upkeep problems; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Wright Homes has also had a turbulent history of hope and despair marked by social problems, crime, outsider intervention, internal strength, shootings, and other violence; and

     WHEREAS, the Mayor Wright Homes Tenant Association (MWHTA) was formed to improve relations between residents and public housing management; and

     WHEREAS, the members of MWHTA are elected from and by the residents; and

     WHEREAS, MWHTA has a treasury of funds but no audit trail; and

     WHEREAS, the MWHTA election for the 2006-2009 term generated significant protests from residents due to alleged irregular procedures and improper uses of election funds; and

     WHEREAS, there are allegations of leniency toward relatives of MWHTA members who violate rules or otherwise disrupt the peace; and

     WHEREAS, residents of Mayor Wright Homes have observed that Citizen Patrol timesheets do not match residents' observations of the times that patrollers spend walking their beats; and

     WHEREAS, residents of Mayor Wright Homes have videotaped so many pet leash and cleanup violations that the Pet Committee has dissolved itself; and

     WHEREAS, there are allegations of discrimination against Micronesians that need to be addressed; and

     WHEREAS, recent Hawaii Public Housing Authority Annual Plans do not address the viability and appropriateness of tenant association operations or finances; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a financial and management audit of MWHTA; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to report any findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than 20 days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

Report Title: 

Mayor Wright Homes Tenants' Association; Financial and Management Audit