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Tone of the Blog

This blog could have had an entirely different tone for the past two months. After the HOA dismissed the lawsuit against me (Gus Philpott) on January 13, I expected the Board to be fair with me. I offered to be fair with it. On January 30th I met with the Board President and requested a meeting with the Board. On February 12th she informed me that "no settlement will be offered". She also asked me not to contact her " with suggestions or comments on how to run the Association." I had not requested a settlement; I asked for a meeting . Since they were not going to be fair with me, why should I be fair with them? I could have counter-sued the HOA. I didn't. I still could. I won't, out of respect for your money. The HOA wasted, in my estimation, $25,-$30,000 suing me. By agreeing to their request to dismiss the lawsuit against me, I saved the HOA another $25,000 or so in trial preparation expenses and trial legal fees and costs. Nobody bothered to even thank me...

The $445,336.86 Question

Q. "What happened to $445,336.86 in 2025?" A. "We spent it." Q. "On what? And WHO spent it?" Cash assets of the HOA dropped $445,336.86 between 1/31/25 and 1/31/26. What explanation does the Board have for the Members (homeowners)? Homeowners should wake up  and demand answers from the Board. It's a different board today than the board that spent it. Last year's board was Trapp, Holmes, Pollin, Hill, Weatherbee, Bryant, Potter. Votes on important issues would have been 5-2. This year's board is Bryant, Lummel, Potter, Turley-Moore, Holmes, Hill, Weatherbee. Votes on important issues will be 4-3. The "4" should not go along with "business as usual". They should comply with the CC&Rs, By-Laws, Guides (such as the PRM), Robert's Rules of Order , and fiduciary responsibility. And common sense. They should inform the Members what happened to the $445,336.86. They should tell the whole story about the $126,351.61 that was ...

No Collections Planned?

The 2026 Proposed Budget, published on the HOA's website, shows $0.00 for Bad Debt Recovery (Line 4099). Accounts Receivable (Line 1205) are $703,252.57 on the Financial Operating Results, as of January 31, 2026. These Results were distributed at the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting but have yet to be posted on the HOA's website. Does the $0.00 in the Budget mean that the Board expects to collect ZERO from the Association's deadbeats? For years the monthly financial reports (produced by CAMS) carried this line, "Collection activity is currently being conducted in accordance with Association policy." For years I claimed that there was something wrong with either the "collection activity" or the "Association policy" or both ! One past director said, "We are not in the business of putting people out of their homes"; meaning, the HOA was not going to foreclose on delinquent homeowners. My response to that was, "The HOA is a South Carolina...

HOW Much in Fines?

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)?

A Message to the HOA Office

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 the Change to Bi-Monthly Board Meetings?

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...

Rattray Case Continued

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...