Barony Place I/Barony Place II

The lists of Voting Members on the HOA's website and in The Summit Scoop are false and deceptive. If the lists are to be correct (and they should be), only Barony Place would be listed. The rules for becoming a Voting Member are spelled out in the By-Laws. Each of the 28 neighborhoods is to hold an Annual Neighborhood Meeting. For the Meeting to convene, there must be a quorum of homeowners present in-person or by proxy. A quorum is 1/3 of the homeowners.  Those homeowners elect a three-member (local) Neighborhood Committee. That Committee then elects one of the three as its chairman, who is referred to as the Voting Member. This is the one and only way to become a Voting Member. "Getting signatures" is not a way to become a bonafide Voting Member; yet Boards of Directors have allowed that for years. Those who got signatures are "recognized" as Voting Members, but they are not. The (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee is charged with assisting the neighborhoods to...

Three of the biggest problems for The Summit's HOA are: no legitimate officers no legitimate directors Far too few legitimate Voting Members Problems (1) and (2) cannot be fixed until Problem (3) is fixed. Problem (3) can be fixed in 60 days, without legal help. The solution? Each neighborhood needs to hold a Neighborhood Meeting. The Meeting needs to be attended by a quorum of homeowners, in-person or by proxy. A quorum is one-third.  At that Meeting the homeowners elect three to a (local) Neighborhood Committee. (Not to be confused with the HOA's Neighborhood Committee.) The Committee serves for one year, until the next year's neighborhood election. Then the three-person (local) Neighborhood Committee elects a chairman. That chairman is the Voting Member. Duly-elected and legitimate. (It's not a lifetime appointment, if the neighborhood never has another Meeting.) The other two members of the (local) Neighborhood Committee are Alternates.  The next step is for the le...

Here are additional tasks that the Board President could assign to the Board V-P. Determine and report to the Board and to Members why Financial Operating Results have not been posted to the HOA's website for September 2025, October, 2025, November 2025, December 2025, January 2026, and February 2026. Determine and report to the Board and to Members why the Minutes of the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting were not published promptly on the website. The Minutes should have been typed up on March 4 and distributed to Board Members that day. If three days were allowed for Board Members to review them and provide corrections, then the Minutes could have been published on Tuesday, March 10. They are not posted as of April 8. Prepare a spreadsheet of legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members, listing Name of each Neighborhood Date of last Neighborhood Meeting Number of properties in the Neighborhood Number of Members required for quorum Number of Members attending in-person and by proxy; Whethe...

Here's another task that the Board President could assign to the Board Vice-President. Investigate the litigation that was filed against resident Gus Philpott in December 2024. Ascertain  by what authority then-Board President Danny Trapp initiated the legal action;  why the Board did not vote to approve it;  whether Trapp knew that the CC&Rs prohibited the litigation;  whether Trapp informed the full Board of the likelihood of success with the litigation;  whether Trapp informed the full Board of the estimated cost of the litigation;  whether Trapp directed that only he (and possibly one other director) were permitted to contact the HOA's lawyer; what source of funds would be used to prosecute the litigation; Whether the full Board was informed of its failure to obtain three of the six restrictions against Philpott that were sought in the February 11, 2025 court hearing; Whether the full Board was informed when Philpott prevailed against the Associatio...

William Hill and Noel Weatherbee are not legitimate, duly-appointed Board Members of The Summit's HOA, and Weatherbee cannot be Vice-President. None of the other directors or officers is a legitimate, duly-elected director or officer. The process of their appointments to the Board was never clear. The Minutes of the July 1, 2025 Board Meeting carry this line on Page 2: " The new board members were introduced: William Hill, Treasurer and Noel Weatherbee, Secretary. " Two vacancies on the Board arose in May 2025, when LaToya Adams and Ciara Bates resigned from the Board. Adams had been Treasurer, and Bates had been Secretary. The HOA had no Treasurer or Secretary for approximately 45 days, even though both officers are required by State law. (Did anyone on the Board move money around during those 45 days? Was it done with Board approval and by Resolution?) How did Hill and Weatherbee come to be appointed? When were they appointed? They should have been appointed at a Regul...

The Association has set a record for updating its stale website. Late Monday afternoon Noel Weatherbee was elected Vice-President of the Board. By today (Wednesday) the Board Members' section of the website has already been updated to show "Vice-President" after her name! How in the world did that happen so quickly? The HOA has not published monthly financial reports since August 2025. The reports for September 2025, October 2025, November 2025, December 2025, January 2026, February 2026 are languishing on someone's hard drive, but there must be no time to publish them on the website for Members to read. The April 2026 Summit Scoop hasn't been published yet (as of April 8). The Minutes of the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting have not been published. The 2026 Approved Budget has never been published. But somebody thought it was so important to add "Vice President" to her name without delay. How did that happen?

When will the Minutes of the April 6, 2026 Special Board of Directors Meeting be available? Will the Minutes include the required Notice of the Meeting? Who was present? Who was absent? Was Jeff Lummel present during the entire discussion or was he excluded? If he was excluded, how was that decided? By Motion and vote? What was the Motion by which Noel Weatherbee was elected to be Vice-President, replacing Jeff? Will the Minutes include details of the discussion?  Who voted in favor? Who vote against? By-Laws, Art. VI, §4(a).  (a)  Inspection by Members and Mortgagees.  The Declaration, By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation, any amendments to the foregoing, the rules and regulations of the Association, the membership register, books of account, and  the minutes of meetings of  the Members,  the Board , and committees  shall be made available for inspection and copying by any  holder, insurer or guarantor of a first Mortgage on a Unit,  M...

Generally, a Vice-President of a HOA doesn't have anything to do. The VP just sits around, waiting for the President not to be available. That won't happen in The Summit's HOA. Board President Brenda Bryant is working hard to be on top of everything. Here's a job that Brenda could assign to Noel Weatherbee, the Board's new VP as of 4/6/26. Give her something to do - to keep her busy - to find out whether she can do something right... Assign this task to her. Find out what happened to $445,336.86 of the HOA's Cash & Cash Equivalents between 1/31/25 and 1/31/26.  Task her with examining and recording every transaction from each of the various cash accounts, including the dates of the transactions, who made them, who authorized them, and on what dates (before the transactions) the Board of Directors approved them. Then trace where the money went. Require her to approach the transactions as if there was a problem with each one and not to just gloss over details ...

The Association suffered a real loss yesterday, when the Board of Directors met in a Special-Called Board Meeting. The purpose for which the Special Board Meeting was called was to consider removing Jeff Lummel as Vice-President.  I don't know yet who was there, but there must have been a quorum of four directors. That's the minimum needed for a Board Meeting. Jeff wasn't voted out as Vice-President; that is not an action that the Board takes. What must have taken place was a vote to elect Noel Weatherbee as Vice-President. The new Vice-President of the Board of Directors is Noel Weatherbee. She was the Board Secretary from July 1, 2025 to December 1, 2025. She was not elected as an officer at the officer-election meeting on December 1, 2025. Jeff is the one Board Member with a solid business background and the right attitude about how the HOA should be run. He is calm, thoughtful, inquisitive, polite, and respectful of the Governing Documents as written, and of people. I...

I get 25-50 political text messages (spam) every day. I report them as Spam. Then the senders just use a different calling number for the same text. I emailed Joe Wilson a couple of weeks ago. A female staffer sent me a form letter that they can't do anything. This morning I called Joe Wilson's West Columbia office. The male staffer couldn't get my address correct in four tries. I asked for a specific reply from Joe Wilson, not a form letter saying they can't do anything. Of course, Joe Wilson can do something. He and Congress can direct the FCC to formulate new rules that protect us. I asked for a reply that informs me what he will do. And, if he won't do anything, then he can tell me that.

Today is the 7th of April. Where is The April Summit Scoop? Why haven't the Minutes of the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting been posted? Who is responsible for publication of the Minutes?  The Town & Country Property Manager?  The Board Secretary?  The Board President?  Will the purpose and outcome of the April 6th, 4:00PM, Special-Called Board Meeting be disclosed promptly to Members (homeowners)? The Board held a Special Board Meeting yesterday at 4:00PM. Why did it meet in a Special-Called Meeting yesterday, if a Regular Meeting will be held tonight? Didn't the Board hold a pre-board meeting just a week ago, on March 31? Will it hold a Regular Board Meeting tonight? Where? Open to Members?  The Board of Directors should create three ad hoc Committees: Investigate the 2024 purchase of a $126,352 annuity as an "investment"; Investigate the shrinkage of $445,000+ in Cash & Cash Equivalents between 1/31/25 and 1/31/26; Investigate the total cost to the Associ...

Listed in Important Numbers in the March 2026 Summit Scoop is Schroeder's Towing and its phone number. Why is a towing company listed in the HOA's Important Numbers list? How many times has the HOA called Schroeder's Towing? How many cars have been towed? Why have any cars been towing? What's the deal?  Can Schroeder's Towing just prowl the HOA and snag cars whenever it chooses? Or must the Property Manager or an authorized official of the HOA call them? Is there any financial benefit to the HOA, when a car is towed? Any incentive? Kickback? Bonus? Payment of any type? Is such a payment prohibited in the deal? Are any cars being towed from streets in The Summit? Or only from Common Properties of the Association? Birch Park? The office parking lot? Should the Board be more transparent about the deal with Schroeder Towing? Should the deal be posted on The Summit's website?

On the calendars of many of us, today is April 6. Why is the April 2026 online Calendar of the Association completely blank? Why aren't the various Committee meeting dates already on the Calendar? Why isn't the Special Board Meeting at 4:00PM today on the Calendar? Should the monthly Regular Board Meeting be on the Calendar for April 7, but with a note "Canceled"?

Are there any "watchers"? When in 2024 was the $126,351.61 moved from cash Reserves of the HOA to a premium payment on the annuity on a board Member? Shouldn't there have been a Board discussion and vote at a monthly, open, Regular Board Meeting? Shouldn't the decision have been recorded in the Minutes? The cash surrender value of the annuity on December 31, 2024 was $121,440 ( down 4% from the premium). Did the HOA make a good "investment"? That $126,351.61 had been earning 5.65% in a CD at South Carolina Federal Credit Union with a maturity date of December 16, 2028. It's on the July 31, 2024 monthly Financial Operating Results on Line 1088. The label "unreconciled" is NOT there. HOWEVER, the next month's Financial Operating Results (for August 31, 2024) show the word "unreconciled" on Line 1088. The amount is the same, $126,351.61.  Was the annuity purchased in August 2024? What does "unreconciled" mean? According t...

Why haven't the Minutes of the March 3, 2026 Board of Directors Meeting been published? Maybe nobody reads them. Do the Board Members even read them? One important announcement was made at the March meeting. The Board President announced that board meetings would be held every other month, not every month as they have been for more than 10 years. There wasn't any discussion or vote. It was just announced. So, when did they discuss and decide to meet bi-monthly? And why? Elsewhere on this blog, I have enumerated many reasons for the Board to continue to meet monthly. The Board should reveal the details of the annuity that the HOA purchased in 2024 for $126,352. The Board should explain why the monthly financial statements for most of 2025 failed to list that annuity as an investment. The Board should explain why 5.5% is a better return than 5.65%. The Board should explain why paying a commission to continue Reserve funds was a good idea. The Board should explain why subjecting t...

If you prefer to email a board member directly, rather than through the office email address, you can find their email addresses right on the HOA's website. From the homepage of the HOA's website, click on BOARD MEMBERS. Then hover over the board member's name and read the email address that pops up at the bottom left. The email address begins after "mailto:" However, use caution when doing so. If you happen to write to the "wrong" board member, you might just receive this message back: "I did not give permission for you to have my email address. You are hereby put on notice with this email that you are not welcome to have any further contact with me. This includes personal contact, telephone contact, mail contact, electronic contact (including but not limited to email, text messages, or social media), and third-party contact. "Additionally, you are also put on notice that you are not welcome on any property I own or lease.   "Should you c...

The bid to perform the 2024 Annual Audit was approved by the Board on October 7, 2025. The bid was $7,039, about $3,000 higher than the previous year's fee by a different, local auditor. The 2024 Annual Audit was completed and dated February 4, 2026 (the day after the February 2026 Board Meeting). The 2024 Annual Audit was received on or before February 24, 2026, according to the Town & Country Property Manager's Report included with the Minutes of the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting. Why didn't the Board Treasurer mention receipt of the 2024 Annual Audit at the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting? The HOA's procedures for the Annual Audit are found in the Procedures Reference Manual (Art. III, §C,  ¶2a-j). The Annual Audit was due by August 31, 2025 (¶2c), but it hadn't even been ordered yet from L. Douglas Johnson, CPA yet. Why not? Danny Trapp was Board President. William Hill was Board Treasurer. CAMS was the property management company. Why wasn't the 2024 Annual...

It's way past time for the Board of Directors (the majority; i.e. the four officers) to stop being nice. It's time to address the elephant in the room. It's time for a "State of the HOA" address by the President of the HOA. This should be in-person and on ZOOM, so that many Members (homeowners) can view it. It should be recorded and archived on the HOA's website. The HOA is a business. It is a South Carolina non-profit corporation. It has Covenants and By-Laws. It has published Guidelines for conducting business. It is a corporation, not a charity or an after-school club. Where did $445,000 go between 1/31/2025 and 1/31/2026? What's the whole story behind the $126,352 annuity purchased in 2024, and who is the Annuitant? Ninety percent (90%) of Accounts Receivable may be uncollectible, according to the 2024 Annual Audit. How bad is the current status of Reserves? Th Indigo Dam repair is likely to impact remaining Reserves severely. The HOA may have to incre...

The just-released 2024 Annual Audit must be giving heartburn to at least some of the Directors of the HOA. The "new" Board majority (since November 18, 2025) must be outraged by the mess in which it finds itself. If they don't step up and tell the truth, they could find themselves embroiled in the mess and, quite likely, culpable and liable. The situation with the annuity is worse than I thought. From the monthly financials released for October 2025 and December 2025, I made an assumption that the annuity had been purchased by the HOA late in 2025. Now I know that I was wrong. From the 2024 Annual Audit, just published on the HOA's website, it is now clear that the annuity was purchased in 2024, not in 2025! The Auditor, L. Douglas Johnson, CPA, had this to say about the annuity: "Note 8. Cash Surrender Value of Annuity   "The Association purchased a single premium deferred annuity (SPDA) in 2024 for a lump-sum payment of $126,352.  The SPDA earns a fixed ...

The 2024 Annual Audit has finally been posted. To view it, go to the HOA's website: www.summithomeowners.com Hover over RESIDENTS, then click on DOCUMENTS. Click on Annual Audits . Click on 2024 . It was due by August 31, 2025, but work by the CPA in Greensboro, N.C. wasn't even approved by the (old) Board until October 7, 2025. Very important information is in the 2024 Annual Audit about the annuity purchased by the HOA. According to the CPA, the annuity was actually purchased in 2024, not in 2025.  More information to follow about the annuity AND the declining financial situation in 2024, which is the year of the audit.  Members don't really know what the financial condition of the HOA is. What does the Board know that Members don't know? The Reserve situation declined through 2025 and now, in 2026, is about to worsen. The best thing the "new" Board can do is be totally honest with the Members. The "old" Boards brought the current situation on by...

This afternoon the office emailed most Members and some residents about the rising costs of vandalism. Unfortunately, no details were provided. Why didn't the message give even one example of vandalism or a few? Why no examples of cost of damage? How effective have the cameras been, after the HOA spent thousands of dollars on them? Plus no one on the Board took responsibility for the announcement by including the name of the officer or director responsible for the message. The Budget is already so tight that it doesn't even squeak. There is no wiggle room for increased expenses. Most budgets provide a little "grease" for unexpected expenses. Not the HOA's 2026 Proposed Budget. I have previously expressed my opinion that the $50.00 annual increase in the 2026 Assessment was insufficient. It wasn't enough, but it was just under the 10% increase that the Board could levy without Voting Member approval. Today's message warns of "increased assessments or a...

Was there a pre-board meeting on March 31st? Pre-board meetings (workshops) are usually held one week prior to the monthly Board Meeting. There should be Minutes of that meeting (and all other pre-board meetings). Good luck in ever getting to see them! Will there be a monthly Board Meeting on the first Tuesday of April, which is April 7th? If so, where will it be held? Will it be held at the North Springs Park Community Center? Somewhere else? Will it be open to Members and residents? To what degree of Transparency are Members entitled? Are they entitled to know what the Board of Directors is doing on their behalf? The Directors are stewards of the Members' money. Speaking of money, what do the left-overs of Team Danny have to say about the $445,000+ drop in Cash between 1/31/25 and 1/31/26? The Treasurers (LaToya Adams, William Hill, and Linda Potter) should know exactly where that money went! Will they just hum a verse of "Don't Worry, Be Happy"? And what do they ha...

With this question, I am asking, "How Many Legitimate Voting Members Are There?" I know of only one (1). Barony Place held Neighborhood Meetings (with a quorum present) in May 2024 and May 2025. A Neighborhood Meeting can be official only if a quorum is present in-person or by proxy. Absolutely no one has challenged me on the point of legitimate Voting Members; i.e., one who was elected by a neighborhood's (local) Neighborhood Committee. The HOA "recognizes" others as "Voting Members", but they have not been duly-elected . Many of them have "gotten signatures", which is a method not approved in the By-Laws. Some have just stuck around for years; one inherited the position when a spouse died. It is critical that a Voting Member be elected in compliance with the Governing Documents. A Voting Member is your legal representative and can jack up your assessment and can do other things, such as elect directors, that affect your ownership of your ho...

On February 12 the Board President emailed me, writing in part, " I am requesting you not contact me with suggestions or comments on how to run the Association." That was after I had requested a meeting with the board, and she responded by saying that they were unanimous that "no settlement will be offered". I hadn't asked for a settlement; I had requested a meeting ! She was polite in her message (which some other board members have not been), and so I have not contacted her again. But who is helping her run the Association? Any of the other Board Members? The hired Property Manager? Any of the Voting Members? Anybody? The Board of Directors has seven directors. It is the Board that is responsible for running the Association, not one person. If there are failures, they are of the Board , not of one person. The Association (HOA) has big issues. If you have read recent articles here, you know what they are. Failure to publish the 2024 Annual Audit; Recovering t...

  About 3:20PM today I was following a RCSD squad west on Summit Parkway, when we passed Birch Park, where this fire was burning. We made a U-turn at the church, and the deputy stopped on Summit Parkway. I turned right and right again and stopped on Rolling Knoll Drive.  My opinion was, as I passed the fire while on Summit Parkway, was that the fire had been set. The fire in the tree was burning strong, In addition to the fire in the tree, there was a circle of fire just east of it around a small tree trunk or bush. There appeared to be nothing "natural" about the fires. As I was stopped and taking this photo, a fire truck arrived. Hopefully, the Summit's HOA will order a report from Columbia Fire Department and learn what caused the fires. Wouldn't it be nice if they would report to the Members in The Summit Scoop or by an email blast?

The March 3, 2026 Board Meeting was four weeks ago.  Why haven't the Minutes been published yet? Only the people at that Board Meeting know what happened. How many were there? 50? What about the other 2,430 property owners in the Association? How will they know what happened at that meeting? That meeting was civil. The inquisitive crowd wasn't there.  Only 50 heard the Board President announce that future Board meetings would be held in alternate months.  Will there, in fact, not be an open Board Meeting on April 7, 2026? Will there be any April Board Meeting? If so, will homeowners be able to attend that board meeting? Where and when will it be? Or does the Board think there is no important business to be discussed? What important business is there? The $445,336.86 gone from Cash in 12 months (1/1/25-1/1/26); The $126,351.61 annuity purchased on a previous board member from money in Reserves; The failure to publish the 2024 Annual Audit; The failure to publish five rece...

There are over 1,500 articles on this blog. To find them, click on Archive on the left sidebar. Scroll down... This blog is about your HOA. 2025 was a very expensive year, yet I seem to be the only one asking questions about the $445,000+ drop in Cash & Cash Equivalents and the annuity that the HOA bought on one of its board members. You can forward any article by clicking on the SHARE button at the top-right or bottom-left of that article. 

The HOA needs two important committee chairpersons and members. 1. Nominating Committee The chairperson should have been appointed on December 1, 2025 when board officers were elected. The chairperson selects the members of the committee, and all are to be approved by the Board. The PRM (Art. III, §H, ¶1 (Page 22))  says that the chair of the Nominating Committee should have been appointed at the officer-election meeting (Organizational Meeting). That meeting should have been held on November 18th but was held on December 1. 2. (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee This committee has no chairperson and no members. They have extremely important work to do before the next director election. They must assist each of the 28 neighborhoods to hold Neighborhood Meetings, elect (local) Neighborhood Committees, which then elect their own Voting Members. The Neighborhood Committee is essential and should carry out its Mission, as stated on the website. At this time there is only one legitimate Voti...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...