Montville — Following a June 9 meeting between the Housing Authority and Town Council, complaints from tenants about conditions at two elderly housing complexes remain unresolved.

"Nothing has changed," tenant Christina Dimick said Sunday.

During the meeting, housing authority commissioners Patty Everett and Mike Brower, along with newly hired housing adminstrator Shirley Smith, publicly responded for the first time to accusations from tenants of the two complexes the authority oversees — Independence Village on Milefski Drive in Uncasville and Freedom Village on Liberty Road in Oakdale.

Over the past year, multiple tenants have complained about what they say are unjustified raises in rent, additional fees, warnings of eviction and maintenance problems.

Everett and Brower denied charging residents for maintenance, equipment and replacement of items such as toilets and keys.

"As for every single case tonight, there are things that are not true," Everett said during the June 9 meeting.

The meeting featured town councilors questioning commissioners about the many complaints from tenants such as charging residents $50 if they need assistance after getting locked out of their units following business hours. 

Council Chairman Tim May called the charge "harsh" as residents often get locked out due to the configuration of the door system. Everett assured the council costs are covered by maintenance unless the resident was found responsible for them. 

Councilor Billy Caron confronted Brower regarding accusations that he was accessing tenants' personal information but Brower denied the claims.

"No. The only thing I have helped with, and the residents have no problem coming to my door for, is energy assistance, rental rebates," he said.

An executive director usually helps tenants with these tasks, but the authority does not have one. Smith was hired in February to take on some of the duties of an executive director and plans to be working 35 hours a week by the end of the month.    

Brower, who lives at one of the complexes, acts as the resident liaison and is the person residents can call about emergencies and for assistance.

Many residents at the June 9 meeting said it was their first time seeing Smith. 

The council also asked commissioners why it took so long for them to fill the executive director position, which had been vacant since July 2019. Everett responded that they had "a very hard time" finding qualified candidates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DeeAnn Morton, the assistant to the town's social services director, said tenants are not given the opportunity to file complaints. She encouraged the council to look through packets of anonymous letters from tenants who feared retaliation.

"They used to have a paper that used to be like a complaint form, but that hasn't been used in over two years," said Morton, adding that Everett and Brower are the only two of the five commissioners actively involved. "There's no one to actually complain to."

When the council asked what the process was for a tenant filing a complaint, the authority commissioners were unable to answer.

Morton suggested the social services department and Smith form a relationship so they could work together. Morton said the Town Council should hold the authority accountable "for the benefit and safety of residents."

Tenants were limited to three minutes each to share their complaints with the council. Tenants told the councilors about uncontrolled mold, broken air conditioning units and deteriorating cabinets in their units as well as invasive questions from management and being threatened with legal action and eviction. Among the other complaints was that there are two washers and two dryers per 40 units and the maintenance worker is part-time.

Resident Patricia Bridge and her daughter defended Everett and Brower, stating that complaints were a lie.

Dimick told councilors her rent was raised 70% during the pandemic but the authority did not cash her rent checks for three months as way to get her evicted. Everett denied the allegations.

On Sunday, Dimick pointed out that two out of seven people will end up living in senior and disabled housing and asked how councilors would want to be treated if they were tenants.

May has said the council has the power to remove commissioners with probable cause just as they had the power to appoint them. He has not said whether the council was planning on removing the current commissioners but added Sunday that the council would ask for legal assistance on the issue.

j.vazquez@theday.com