(SALEM, IL) — Following the sudden dismissal of its executive director, the Marion County Housing Authority Board has uncovered nearly $200,000 in unpaid bills and other financial chaos that has resulted in the agency now being monitored by federal Housing and Urban Development. The board released information during a special meeting Wednesday night. They had unanimously voted to fire former Executive Director Allison Austin during their regularly scheduled meeting earlier this month. During the special meeting, it was disclosed that in addition to the nearly $200,000 in unpaid bills, the agency failed to pay Marion County $32,000 in property taxes, and that it lost $244,000 in low-income housing funds for the first nine months of the year. Financial shortfalls and irregularities were discovered and reported to HUD, which now rates the Marion County Housing Authority at 1.5 on a scale of 1 to 25. Some of the financial irregularities discovered have since been terminated, such as the hiring of contractors at more than $3,000 a month, without documentation of their work and multiple vehicle loans that may not be allowed by HUD. The lease of the former Blue Angels building on North Poplar Street in Centralia is being terminated, with all agency offices and furnishings moved out. An overdue payment of $1,900 has been made to the auditor in hopes a complete auditing will reveal a complete picture of the agency’s financial condition. Following the open session portion of the special meeting, the board entered executive session to discuss pending litigation stemming from the current financial situation.