By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority is on the hook for more than $330,000 in past due bills to an Alabama-based roofing contractor that performed work for the agency in 2009, according to an attorney for the contractor.

Kari Bergeron, a Baton Rouge attorney representing Crimson Eagle Inc., told the Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners that in March, her client obtained a judgment against the agency that was rendered in a St. John Parish court. She said she came before the board to address the past due balance and determine the agency’s course of action in repaying the debt.

“There is been no effort made to satisfy the judgment,” Bergeron said. “It is breaking this business. They have had to borrow money to stay afloat, and they won’t come back to do more work. We know this region needs their services.”

Bergeron said the roofing work was completed sometime in 2009 as part of repairs following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. She said the total past due amount was about $306,000, but interest has bumped that total up by more than $24,000 to $330,341.74.

Bergeron said her client has also requested annual reports from the Housing Authority on the agency’s finances that have not been submitted. She also took issue with a recently approved salary increase for Housing Authority Executive Director Trina Henderson.

“We keep hearing that the agency has no money, but this agency and its board have been able to give the executive director a raise,” Bergeron said. “I mean no disrespect to you Ms. Henderson, but you can see how this looks.”

In defense of the agency, Henderson told Bergeron that no annual reports had been created since before 2009 because of massive turmoil within the Housing Authority. She said her staff has been committed to working to cure some of the ills of the agency to figure out ways to pay all of its past due bills.

“We have hired an accountant to go through records from 2009 and past years,” Henderson said. “We hope that by the end of this year we will have a better understanding of our financial status.”

Henderson said the agency is looking into what happened to the money that was supposed to be paid to Crimson Eagle, and the agency is looking into identifying non-federal funds to pay the contractor.

Commission Chairperson Iona Holloway said the agency was told by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that the Housing Authority was sent the money to pay for the roofing work done by Crimson Eagle, but it wasn’t paid.

“We are trying to find out why,” Holloway said. “All I can say is that I know a year ago our books were a mess. They are still a mess, but the outlook is much better. We want this off our books, and we want to resolve this.”