What would you call this?

Today I went to the HOA office at 10:20AM to read the Resolution that the Board passed last week - the one by which the Board intends to keep homeowners out of monthly board meetings.

Last Friday I had submitted a request (legally, a "demand") to view the Resolution and I informed Angela that I'd be there today between 10-11AM.

When I arrived, the document wasn't there. Angela wasn't there. Justin Martin, the HOA president, was there. Nice smile; friendly. He told me the document wasn't ready yet and that he was texting Angela. He said she'd email me when it was ready. I expected it today by 3:00PM, when the office planned to close for the long holiday week-end.

About 90 minutes later I received another long letter from the HOA's attorney. It started out with "I understand that you visited the Association office today based upon your arbitrary decision that today would be the day you visited to obtain documents."

Now, I'm not a particularly sensitive guy, but I know when somebody is throwing a white glove down at my feet.

It's 4:00PM now and there was no email from Angela. Was I surprised? A little, because Justin said she would email me. How long does it take to print out a one-page document and send an email to me that it was ready? Hey, at least she didn't email me at 2:59PM and remind me that the office was going to close at 3:00PM.

But the bigger issue, for me, is whether Justin was speaking the truth this morning. Obviously, he called the attorney shortly after I left. (I don't mind dealing with attorneys. I have 50 years' experience with that.

The attorney offered the document, if I fork over payment for the time of the office to produce it. The hourly rate is $125, in 15-minute increments. So, $31.25/quarter-hour.

When I lived in Illinois, lawyers had gotten in hot water for billing in one-hour increments, and it seems to me that the bar association ordered them to bill in 1/10-hour increments (6 minutes).

Justin and the office know exactly where that Resolution is. It would take them less than a minute to find it and print a copy. So I'm definitely not paying $31.25, plus $15 to print the "document".

I was born at night, but it wasn't last night. No one in the CAMS office earns anywhere close to $125/hour. The office jobs pay $17-$19/hour; Angela might get paid $30/hour. The hourly charge of $125/hour is exorbitant, excessive, punishing, and discourages requests for documents - and is not reasonable. (State law allows "reasonable" charges, for labor and printing).

So, to all the Homeowners in The Summit Community Association, this is how YOUR Association is working for you.

There's an election coming up in November. Whose terms are up? 
1) Justin Martin
2) Mary Ann Game
3) Gregory Thomas
4) Brenda Bryant
5) And the undeclared, vacant seat of the late Paul Hill, which was filled temporarily (and for only six months until November 2022) by Dennis Rybicki.

Which makes five; right? In November 2021 Justin allowed an election of more Directors than were seats open. Only four should have been elected in 2021. Only four Directors should be elected in November 2023.

But maybe there won't even be an election for Directors in November 2023. Why not? Because there aren't any legitimate "electors", a/k/a Voting Members. 

You can determine whether your Neighborhood has a legitimate Voting Member. On what date was your last Annual Neighborhood Meeting? The year must end in 2022 or 2023. 

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