Housing board wants to pay Berwick more for director

Morgan City Housing Authority officials have proposed increasing the annual amount the authority pays to the Berwick Housing Authority over the next three years for Berwick Executive Director Clarence Robinson’s work as Morgan City interim director.
The Morgan City Housing Authority Board approved a resolution Thursday to increase its rate of reimbursement to the Berwick Housing Authority by 12 percent during the first year with the option for additional 5 percent increases the second and third years of Robinson’s contract as Morgan City interim director, Attorney Robert Duffy said.
Robinson has served as interim director of the Morgan City Housing Authority since July 2013.
The Morgan City Housing Authority has been without an executive director since June 2013, when former Director Charles Spann resigned.
According to a December 2014 report from Louisiana Legislative Auditor, housing authority employees, including Spann were accused of receiving a total of roughly $700,000 in improper pay and bonuses between 2007 and 2013.
In 2014, the Morgan City Housing Authority reimbursed Berwick $26,879 for Robinson’s service as Morgan City interim director. According to Thursday’s resolution, that reimbursement would increase, including benefits, to $40,841 in the first year. Upon Robinson’s performance reviews each of the subsequent years of the contract, that amount could increase to $42,766 in the second year and $44,807 in the third year, Duffy said.
The Berwick board must also approve the resolution in order for the rate of reimbursement to increase over the next three years, he said. As part-time director in Morgan City, Robinson can’t spend more than 24 hours a week in Morgan City, Duffy said.
The proposed increase in reimbursement from Morgan City to Berwick will still be less than half of what Spann made as permanent director in Morgan City, which was almost $100,000 annually including benefits, Duffy said.
Robinson’s salary as Berwick Housing Authority executive director is about $70,000. At June’s Morgan City Housing Authority board meeting, the board approved extending Robinson’s contract as interim director for a three-year term.
However, this month, the Berwick Housing Authority board approved three, one-year terms as Morgan City interim director, Duffy said. On Thursday, the Morgan City board accepted Berwick’s changes to Morgan City’s resolution, Duffy said.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.