Homeowners' Last Line of Defense

There is no reason to hate HOAs. 

You bought your home in The Summit for a reason. A properly-run HOA can help you keep your home's value high.

How is your voice as a Homeowner heard?

In The Summit's HOA you, the homeowner, do not elect those who direct the HOA (.i.e., members of the Board of Directors). You do not have a voice directly to the Board. You are supposed to go through your Neighborhood's Voting Member.

Your representative is the Voting Member of your neighborhood. This is THE reason that every Neighborhood should have a legitimate Voting Member. "Legitimate" means, elected in compliance with the By-Laws.

You don't have a direct say, if the Board decides to raise the Annual Assessment (currently, $510/year). You don't have a direct say, if the Board wants to levy a Special Assessment. You don't have a direct say, if the Board wants to dilute your present authority for electing your Voting Member. 

It's your Voting Member who has that "say".

You do have an indirect "say", because your Voting Member is supposed to ask you what you think about a dues increase (or other Board request), before s/he or she votes on it. 

But what if your Neighborhood does not have a legitimate Voting Member. The Board should care about that immensely; instead, it doesn't mention it or emphasize its importance.

I bellieve that only one Neighborhood in The Summit has a legitimate Voting Member - Barony Place. Barony Place held the required Neighborhood Meeting on May 4, 2024 and complied with the By-Laws.

On what date did your Neighborhood hold its most-recent Neighborhood Meeting?

Find out by asking your "Voting Member" for that date (the exact date). Email him or her, and follow up to get a written response. See the list of "Voting Members" in The Summit Scoop or on the HOA's website. Unless it was in the last 12-14 months, you don't have a legitimate Voting Member, which means your Neighborhood and you have no legal say in the operations of the HOA.

A legitimate Voting Member is your last Line of Defense. Genuine, official, legitimate Voting Members should hold the Board of Directors accountable for proper, legal, ethical, fiscally-responsible operations of the HOA. 

An equally, important issue is that only legitimate Voting Members should be allowed to attend the Annual Meeting of Voting Members held each November. And only legitimate Voting Members should be allowed to vote for directors.


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