Re: Public Information Act Request

Letter of April 12, 2011

Re: Public Information Act Request

Page 1 of 3

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Legal Aid Bureau, Inc.

Southern Maryland Office

P.O. Box 249
Hughesville, Maryland 20637
(877) 310-1810 toll free
(301) 932-6661 Charles Co.
(301) 884-5935 St. Mary’s Co.
(410) 535-3278 Calvert Co.
(301) 274-0713 FAX

Warren S. Oliveri, Jr., President
Wilhelm H. Joseph, Jr., Executive Director
C. Shawn Boehringer, Chief Counsel
Gustava E. Taler, Chief Operating Officer
Seri Wilpone, Chief Attorney / Margaret A. Maupin

Ext. 3004

April 12, 2011

Mr. H. Wayne Boyle

Director

Housing Authority of CalvertCounty

P.O. Box 2509

Prince Frederick, MD 20678

Re:Public Information Act Request

Dear Mr. Boyle:

This is a request under the Public Information Act, Md. Code Ann., State Gov't § 10-611, et seq. (the “PIA”). I write to you in your capacity of custodian of records of the Housing Authority of Calvert County and I make this request on behalf of Maryland Legal Aid. Pursuant to the PIA, I request copies of all documents in your custody and control pertaining to the§ 8 Housing Choice Voucher program (“HCV”) administered by your agency, as follows:

1. Records showing the number of HCV program recipients (“recipients”) in your program as of December 31st of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010;

1. Records showing the number of people who applied to participate in the HCV program (“applicants”) in each of those same five years;

1. Records showing the number of applicants accepted to participate in the HCV program for each of those same five years;

1. Records showing the amount of time that elapsed between the recipient receiving a HCV and the recipient using the HCV to move into a home, for each of those same five years;

1. Records showing the number of applicants rejected during each of those five years;

1. For each applicant rejected between January 1, 2009, and the date of this letter:

1. The letter you wrote to the applicant giving the rejection decision (the “rejection letter”);

1. Records showing the number of rejected applicants who requested an Informal Hearing;

1. Records showing the number of Informal Hearings for rejected applicants held; and,

1. For each such Informal Hearing, the written decision given by the Hearing Officer;

1. Records showing the number of HVC recipients to whom your program sent letters terminating their participation in the HVC program (“termination letters”) in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, and, for each of those years:

1. The number of those recipients who requested an Informal Hearing;

1. The number of Informal Hearings held;

1. The number of recipients who had an attorney present at the Informal Hearing;

1. The number of recipients who prevailed at the Informal Hearing, and thus continued as recipients in the HCV program; and

1. The number of recipients who did not prevail at the Informal Hearing and thus were terminated from the HCV program;

1. From January 1, 2009, through the present:

1. Each termination letter you sent to a recipient;

1. Each letter you sent to inform a recipient of a scheduled Informal Meeting;

1. The written decision of the Hearing Officer after each Informal Hearing;

1. Each letter you wrote to the recipient’s landlord regarding your intent to terminate the recipient’s participation in the HCV program; and

1. For each of those recipients in your termination process, any other letter not included above which you sent to the recipient or the recipient’s landlord on or after the date of the original termination letter;

1. Your Administrative Plan for the HCV program, including the date on which it was last approved by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”);

1. The schedule for the required reviews of your Administrative Plan including the dates of any required public comment periods; and

1. Any other documents showing your policies for the HCV program, including rules and/or instructions for landlords and for recipients.

If all or any part of this request is denied, please identify the nature and general content of each item being withheld and provide a written statement of the grounds for the denial, citing the law or regulation under which you are authorized to deny access; furthermore, please include with any such denial a statement of any available remedy for review of the denial.

If any document I have requested includes the name or other identifying information for the recipient or applicant, you may redact only such identifying information; this redaction should include only the name, address, telephone number, or Social Security number of the recipient or applicant.

If you determine that some portions of the requested records are exempt from disclosure, you should provide me with “any reasonably severable portion of the records as required in Md. Code Ann., State Gov't § 10-614(b)(3)(iii).

Please advise me as to the cost, if any, of obtaining a copy of the records requested. You are to respond within thirty days of this request pursuant to Md. Code Ann., State Gov't § 10-614(b). If you have adopted a fee schedule for obtaining copied records and/or other policies or other rule implementing the Public Information Act, please provide me with a copy.

If you have questions regarding this request, please feel free to call me.

Sincerely,

Margaret A. Maupin

Senior Staff Attorney

/mam