PITTSFIELD — Tina Danzy, the executive director of the Pittsfield Housing Authority, has been placed on paid administrative leave by the PHA Board of Commissioners pending an investigation of her job performance.

On Wednesday, the board met with Danzy in a private executive session to discuss ongoing complaints and concerns surrounding her conduct in recent months. Following the session, the board approved five separate resolutions, each by a 4-0 vote, starting the investigation and placing her on paid leave.

"I'm not satisfied with the way PHA is preforming," said Michael McCarthy, the board chair.

The Pittsfield Housing Authority is an independent public agency that manages over 700 units spread across 10 developments in the city. All tenants are low-income and rent is 30 percent of their income.

The resolutions state that Danzy's paid leave begins at 5 p.m. Thursday. They direct her to refrain from doing any work for PHA, including directing employees, making personnel decisions, or communicating on PHA's behalf.

They further state that no final determination has been made that any allegation against Danzy has been proven, or that there is sufficient cause for action under her employment agreement.

Danzy declined to comment following Wednesday's meeting.

The vote follows a flurry of complaints lodged against PHA staff and Danzy in recent months over PHA property conditions and alleged violations of its own policies. The flash point was a proposal that would have banned personal items such as grills and children's pools from common spaces.

The board retained city attorney Kevin Kinne as special counsel for the investigation, "with fees initially not to exceed $5,000" without further board approval. Retired Massachusetts Superior Court Justice John Agostini, senior counsel at the law firm of Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook, will conduct the investigation.

Danzy will be placed on paid leave starting Friday and will remain on leave until the investigation has concluded.

This is not the first step the board has taken to address tenant concerns, as it previously enacted a policy requiring that it review all of Danzy's decisions as executive director. That policy came after a new rule that would have severely limited how tenants can use outdoor common space.

The policy, which was announced in May, would have barred tenants from having grills, kiddie pools and sprinklers. It would also require any other item used outdoors be brought back inside when not in use.

That rule, which likely would have violated state laws governing housing authorities if enacted, was later shelved. But it led the board of commissioners to convene a listening session for tenants to air their grievances.

At the first meeting, tenants met with the board with the understanding PHA staff would not be present — although one employee still attended — and made some inroads. McCarthy and the tenants agreed that grills should be allowed if common sense fire safety practices are followed.

However, at a regularly scheduled board meeting on June 23, tensions flared. Multiple tenants called for Danzy to resign, and the meeting devolved into a shouting match.

As housing authority employees visited each apartment complex to listen to tenant complaints, those too turned hostile, according to Aja Young, a tenant and organizer.

While Danzy is on leave, Susan Martino will become the acting executive director. Martino, who has previously served as acting director, is currently the authority's director of finance and administration.

No final decision has been made on Danzy's future at PHA, McCarthy said. "These resolutions amount to a process that's important," he said.