Barony Place I/Barony Place II

There is an excellent summary of the July 1st Board Meeting posted on the new "unofficial" Summit HOA group on Facebook. The group's name is "The Summit Community Neighborhood, NE Columbia".  (Note: There are other Summit HOA groups on Facebook, but they are not "our" Summit HOAs.)  Sherri Lauver, Voting Member for Chapelwood, wrote the summary and did a fine job. You'll see information in her summary that will never reach the Minutes. For example, she included these: "Inquiry made regarding why Ms. Bryant (Board member) was not allowed to join the CCR committee, despite requesting two months ago — no response from Chair (Danny)." and  Meeting Accessibility " Request made to reinstate microphone use for hearing assistance. Board response: 'They will just speak louder.'" As to the first, Director Brenda Bryant should have been allowed to join the Covenants Committee. She doesn't need Danny's permission. She shoul...

When the Board of Directors met on July 1st, the Financial Operating Report for May 2025 should have been available on the back table of the room. Was it? If it was, then it was released to Members.  Why wasn't the Report published on the HOA's website on July 2 (or July 3, 7, 8), where all Members could inspect it? If you haven't seen the May financials yet, do this: Call your neighborhood's Voting Member and ask for a copy. Contact the HOA's Treasurer and ask for a copy (Oh, wait: the HOA does not have a legitimate Treasurer.) Call the office (803.865.0609) and ask them to email you a copy. Ask when it will be emailed to you. Also, request that it be posted online. Attend the August 5th Board Meeting and ask why the HOA does not make the Financial Reports available online sooner.

To the Voting Members of The Summit's HOA: July 9, 2025 Shouldn't you be all over the Board of Directors for conducting an illegitimate "executive session" on July 1, 2025?  In that session, which was held before the Regular Monthly Board Meeting began, the Board picked two directors to fill the vacancies on the board that were created by the May resignations of Ciara Bates (Secretary) and LaToya Adams (Treasurer). The appointments of two directors on July 1 are invalid, because the executive session was not legitimate. Further, because those new directors were then chosen as officers (Secretary and Treasurer), they are not legitimate officers.* The appointments of two directors should have been made during the open, public, monthly Board Meeting.  The elections for Secretary and Treasurer should have been conducted during the open, public, monthly Board Meeting.  As a result, the HOA still has two vacancies on the Board (should have three) and still has no Secretary ...

The Board of Directors of The Summit's HOA still has two vacancies on the Board (should have three) and still has no Secretary and no Treasurer. The Board will tell you there are no vacancies and that it has a Secretary and a Treasurer. But that is not true. Why not? The Board made decisions, improperly, on July 1st in a private, closed, secret, pre-board meeting. That meeting was before the Regular Board Meeting, which was scheduled to start at 6:30PM. The Board claimed it had met in Executive Session. It did not. It announced results from that prior meeting. The Board does not understand Executive Session rules. It should have first started the Regular Meeting. Then, after Motion and vote, it could recess into Executive Session. It didn't do that. The next irregularity was making decisions in "Executive Session" and merely announcing them in the Regular Meeting.  Was all that done at the prompting or direction of the HOA's President, Danny Trapp? Someone might ...

And not days later! On the 4th of July, about 11:30AM, a man with a rifle was observed in a car in front of Publix on Hard Scrabble. And some good, concerned citizen called RCSD. This article in The State describes what happened next. When you see a suspicious person, vehicle, or incident, call RCSD. If the call rings unanswered for a long time or disconnects you, call back. Or dial 9-1-1. Deputies will happily "check it out". Was Jimmear Starks, 27, up to no good? Or was he just having a smoke? Among other things he was charged with unlawful possession of a (stolen) sawed-off rifle.  Starks is a guest of Sheriff Lott at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, but his case doesn't show up on the Fifth Judicial Circuit Public Index yet.

In a recent post on this blog, I wrote that Voting members can "prevent the HOA from starting lawsuits". How do they do that? It's simple. They just don't approve starting them. The Voting Members don't have to do anything to prevent the HOA (the Board of Directors) from starting a lawsuit that is not authorized in the CC&Rs. In order for the HOA (through the Board) to start a lawsuit that is not authorized, the Voting Members must do something! The CC&Rs prohibit the HOA from starting lawsuits without the approval of Voting Members in all but four circumstances. This is covered in Art. XIII, §10 Litigation  (Page 27) of the CC&Rs. If you don't know where to find the CC&Rs online, drop me an email (use the Contact box to the left) or call the HOA office (803.865.0609). To start a lawsuit,  the Voting Member must get permission of 75% of his homeowners; then 75% of the Voting Members must approve the lawsuit (after getting their homeowners...