Barony Place I/Barony Place II

Do Members ever look at the Budget? Do you know that your HOA is hoping to collect $70,000 for Fines in 2026? That's the amount in the 2026 Proposed Budget (Line 4600), posted on your HOA's website. This is 40% higher that in 2025. (The 2026 Approved Budget has not yet been posted.) Will there be more violations, or does this mean more aggressive inspections and action by the office? Should the HOA explain what happens when a homeowner (Member) doesn't pay a fine? Is it correct that a Magistrate has ruled that the HOA cannot file liens and collect unpaid Fines? What's the true story? Why not ask at a Board Meeting and get the answer (and see it recorded for posterity in the Minutes of that Board Meeting)?

The following message was emailed this morning to the HOA office. Good morning, Julie, I write a blog that is read throughout The Summit. Will you please answer these questions for me, so that I can inform the HOA community? When will the 2024 Annual Audit be posted to the HOA's website? When will the 2023 internal audit and the 2023 external audit be posted? When will the financial operating results be posted for September 2025, October 2025, November 2025, December 2025, and January 2026 be posted? Will the HOA resume publishing the financial operating results monthly on the website? When will the Minutes of the March 3, 2026 BOD Meeting be posted? Is the Board investigating the $445,336.86 shrinkage in Cash & Cash Equivalent in Calendar Year 2025? Is the Board investigating the withdrawal from Reserves of $126,351.61 and the purchase of an annuity on the life of one board member? The office has not yet responded to my request for identification of Sections in the Governing D...

Why did the Board President announce a change in meeting frequency for the Board of Directors? Brenda Bryant announced the change at the March 3, 2026 board meeting. Nobody on the board offered any reason for the change. There was no board discussion. No one made a motion to change meetings from monthly to bi-monthly. There was no vote. And no Board Member objected! The January BOD Meeting may have been rowdy; I wasn't there. The February BOD Meeting was allowed to get out-of-control, but it wasn't the audience that was the problem. Homeowners had many proper questions and suggestions. The Board President just wasn't able to control the February meeting. It would have been easy. Just pause the meeting. Restore order. Continue the meeting. Instead, she tried to "pull a Danny" and just adjourn the meeting.  When did the BOD discuss a change to bi-monthly meetings? Did they do that in private? In a closed pre-board meeting? In a workshop? Did they vote on it? Why did...

The civil case filed in Pontiac Magistrate's Court by Michele Rattray against four homeowners in The Summit (who just happen to be the new majority on the HOA's Board of Directors) was continued and will not be heard at 10:00AM today. A new court date will be set. Rattray filed what I'll refer to as a groundless case against Brenda Bryant, Thomas (Jeff) Lummel, Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore. The four were elected by the HOA's Voting Members on November 18, 2025 and were elected by the Board as officers on December 1, 2025. Why groundless? None of the four was named as a Director or Officer of the HOA. The case was filed against them as individuals. None of the four, as an individual, was subject to the South Carolina Non-profit Corporation Act. It's the HOA that is subject to the Act. The HOA was not named as a Defendant. Jeff and Angelo had nothing to do with the election. There were not even nominated by the Nominating Committee. But they and Brenda were e...

Last month the Board President announced that Board of Directors meetings would be held every other month. Do you agree with that? The Board must have decided that in private, because there was no Motion, discussion, or vote.  For the past ten years, maybe longer, the Board has held open, monthly Board Meetings. What do you think could be behind the Board's wish to change Board Meetings to every other month? In my opinion, there is too much important business that needs attention - public attention. If the Board continues to meet monthly, will those meetings be open to Members? If the Board is going to make any decisions, the meetings should be open to the public, as they have been for the past 10-15-20 years. What needs public discussion and attention? The $126,351.61 annuity that was paid for by liquid Reserve Funds late in 2025. The $445,336.86 drop in Cash & Cash Equivalents in 2025 . The litigation that was started by former Board President Danny Trapp in violation of the...

Why did the HOA's Cash drop so much in one year? On 1/31/26   the HOA had Cash Assets of $1,166,687.95, which was  down $445,336.86 from 1/31/25. I wonder how many Board Members realize that. Does this mean that the HOA spent its entire budget AND another $445,336.86? Do you think the Board should investigate that and give an explanation to the Members? Wouldn't a Treasurer's Report at a monthly Board Meeting be the place to reveal that?