Billerica Housing Authority Approves Voucher Payment, Flags $15,000 Reserve Floor

BILLERICA — April 16, 2026 — Billerica Housing Authority approves $97,270 Section 8 payment, leaving reserves at just $15,000. The board, re-electing Chair James O'Donnell at its April 16 reorganization, voted unanimously to cover a monthly HUD disbursement shortfall of $3,313.24 from reserves, bringing the authority's cushion to approximately $15,000. Executive Director Robert Brunton said a Section 8 program specialist from the Lowell Housing Authority will brief the board at its May 14 meeting on the program's outlook and any pending decisions. The board also grappled with a mice infestation at the Talbot development that has forced closure of the community room under a one-year pest control contract; a new commissioner demanded written metrics and a timeline for reopening, warning that an indefinite closure "opens up the housing authority to legal action." The authority's reserve ratio stands at 34.53 percent, just below the 35 percent state threshold that triggers regulatory oversight of expenditures.