As U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development personnel look into the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s $4.5 million budget shortfall and recent layoffs, residents are asking them to investigate the Resident Advisory Board’s spending practices.

“I want them to investigate the bank account from (the board),” said Doris Conner, former president of the College Hill Courts Resident Association. “The money was collected. It was supposed to be given to family (housing) sites, but they didn’t give it out.”

As the advisory board’s former treasurer, Ms. Conner said she deposited $1,500 — donated by the housing authority’s police department — in the board’s account in 2007 but never saw any of it except for the purchase of 200 T-shirts for residents.

Ms. Conner is one of several residents asking HUD officials to investigate other matters while they are conducting a monitored review of the local housing authority’s spending practices. The advisory board is funded through HUD, which sends the money to the housing authority for dispersal.

But the Resident Advisory Board is an independent organization and is not controlled by the housing authority, CHA officials have said.

Several CHA officials, including Betsy McCright, chief operating officer and interim director, and Gary Kelley, director of resident services, said they did not know how much was in the Resident Advisory Board’s 2007 budget, nor do they know how much was spent.

HUD’s Knoxville field office director, Mark Brezina, said he encourages residents to work with housing officials as much as possible, but if they have a complaint to “bring it on,” he said.

“I need for them to send me an e-mail or letter, that way I know exactly what I’m looking at,” he said.

Along with Resident Advisory Board issues, residents also have concerns about the agency’s criminal trespass policy, which they said has prevented some residents from seeing friends and family members. People who commit a crime are placed on the housing authority’s no-trespassing list, CHA Chief of Police Felix Vess has said.

“Some of the people are coming here to check on their grandmothers, but they’re prohibited from coming on the property,” said College Hill Courts Resident Association President Ralph Williams.

Some of those on the no-trespassing list may have been accused of a crime, but are still going through the court system and haven’t been convicted, Mr. Williams said.

“You can go through the list and find people who have not been through the judicial process,” he said. “What did they do wrong? They don’t live here and came here without ID.”

Residents also want HUD to examine the housing authority’s recent 3 percent increase in repair fees for resident-caused apartment damage. The increase was implemented May 1.

Repair costs sometimes don’t take into account “wear and tear on that door has been going on for years,” East Lake Courts resident Deborah Henry said.

CHA officials said the 3 percent raise is the first hike in repair fees in 10 years.

Resident Advisory Board President Jesse Lawrence said she has asked housing authority officials about how much money the housing authority received from HUD, but she never got an answer.

“The housing authority keeps the money that comes from HUD. We don’t hold it,” she said.

HUD funds are used to pay for resident leadership training and other resident activities, Mrs. Lawrence said. She said she has had to get church and community donations to provide food for the 35 young people attending summer camp at the East Lake Courts housing site.

The Advisory Board also has not received the $1,500 CHA police donation for this year, she said. In 2007, the board used the police donation to buy T-shirts and for training, Mrs. Lawrence said.

“We can’t spend a penny without it being voted on,” she said.

Last year, HUD money was used to pay for a four-day resident leadership training in Pigeon Forge, she said. That trip was the first leadership training that they’ve had in at least three years, Mrs. Lawrence said.

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