| San Antonio Housing Authority commissioners narrowed the scope of their investigation into problems at Mirasol Homes to three questions and told their attorney to hire experts to get answers as soon as possible.
They made the move Wednesday after rejecting both bids for an independent audit, saying they would cost too much and take too long.
TerraHealth submitted a bid of $200,650 for a four-month evaluation process. Martinez, Garcia & Co. submitted a bid of $301,275 for an eight-month process.
Instead of seeking a wider-ranging investigation, commissioners want answers to these questions:
Are the homes structurally sound?
Did SAHA get what was specified and paid for?
Did SAHA administrators "perform reasonable and acceptable oversight?"

Based on inspections by the Army Corps of Engineers and a third-party consultant, commissioners believe it's "reasonable to conclude" the homes are structurally sound, said board Chairman Michael Feldblum.
To answer the question about specifications, a forensic engineer will compare construction plans to what was built, he said. A management auditor will be hired to decide the oversight issue.
The board hopes to have questions answered by the end of April, Feldblum said.
In other business, commissioners were told the Victoria Courts redevelopment project is ahead of schedule, but could fall behind before June 13, the construction loan deadline. |