August Minutes omit two Important Issues

The Minutes of the August 8, 2023 board meeting omit two very important issues that were raised during the Public Comment period.

What is this important? Because those points were not included in the Minutes, it's like they never happened!

The Minutes can be read on the HOA's website at www.summithomeowners.com  Click on RESIDENTS, then on DOCUMENTS, then on Board of Director's Minutes.

The first thing you'll notice in the Minutes is the error in the date, which is formatted incorrectly. It has been incorrect in every month of 2023. Does any Director read the Minutes? Are they all unconscious about detail?

What do you notice about "August 8th ,2023"? It is total carelessness, inattention, or ignorance. Or all three. The error first appears in the February 2023 Minutes and repeats every month.

The two important issues that were raised on August 8th were:

1. A resident of Barony Place II complained that a board member had emailed her housemate and referred to him as a squatter. She did not identify the board member, but Vernell Butler, the HOA's Treasurer, acknowledged that he was the sender. Vernell had written to Gus Philpott on July 2, 2023, saying "I actually feel sorry for the homeowner that you squat with." He copied 12 board and committee people. Is that defamation? Is it libel? Does the Board bear responsible for actions of its Treasurer?

Wikipedia defines squatting: "Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use."

2. A Voting Member raised a question about the integrity of the bidding process of the HOA. He asked if received bids were kept sealed. Treasurer Vernell Butler said they were not. Does that not open the question of integrity in the bidding process?

Neither issue is reflected in the Minutes. Therefore, anyone who was not at the meeting will have no idea that these issues were raised.

At least two important contracts are coming up. Management services, currently held by CAMS, and landscaping services for 2024. When a company responds to a RFP for management services, is its bid returned to the HOA's office (operated by CAMS)? Does CAMS get to see a competitor's bid before submitting its own bid?

Should the RFP be public information?

Two years ago, President Justin Martin said at a board meeting that there were no bidders other than CAMS for the management contract. He said no other companies would bid, because they wouldn't do things the way that the HOA wanted them done.

That comment immediately raised red flags for me. What was it that the HOA wanted done, that CAMS would do but other companies would not?

What assurance does a bidder have that CAMS will not know of its bid until after the bids are opened? 

Will a board member request that the Minutes be amended before Justin announces that the August Minutes are approved? Note: the Board never approves the Minutes, as the Minutes state. Justin merely reports that the Minutes are approved. Why are the Minutes wrong every month about that?

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