Barony Place I/Barony Place II

  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...

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...

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...

Last month the Board President announced that Board of Directors meetings would be held every other month. Do you agree with that? The Board must have decided that in private, because there was no Motion, discussion, or vote.  For the past ten years, maybe longer, the Board has held open, monthly Board Meetings. What do you think could be behind the Board's wish to change Board Meetings to every other month? In my opinion, there is too much important business that needs attention - public attention. If the Board continues to meet monthly, will those meetings be open to Members? If the Board is going to make any decisions, the meetings should be open to the public, as they have been for the past 10-15-20 years. What needs public discussion and attention? The $126,351.61 annuity that was paid for by liquid Reserve Funds late in 2025. The $445,336.86 drop in Cash & Cash Equivalents in 2025 . The litigation that was started by former Board President Danny Trapp in violation of the...

Why did the HOA's Cash drop so much in one year? On 1/31/26   the HOA had Cash Assets of $1,166,687.95, which was  down $445,336.86 from 1/31/25. I wonder how many Board Members realize that. Does this mean that the HOA spent its entire budget AND another $445,336.86? Do you think the Board should investigate that and give an explanation to the Members? Wouldn't a Treasurer's Report at a monthly Board Meeting be the place to reveal that?

The Board of Directors met on March 3, 2025. Why haven't the Minutes of that Meeting been posted yet? They made an important decision at that meeting, and they failed to discuss other important issues. Minutes ought to be published within one week of a Board Meeting. They could be typed up the following day (while notes are fresh) and distributed to board members. Board members could be given three days to read them and return them with any comments or corrections. Then they could be published. This month, 2½ weeks have already passed. The important decision was that board meetings will be bi-monthly now. (There is no good reason for that.) The Board failed to discuss: the $126,351.61 that was transferred out of Reserves to buy an annuity on (which director), without Board discussion or vote to approve either the withdrawal or the purchase; the $703,252.57 in Accounts Receivable; the 2024 Annual Report, which was received by the HOA by February 24, 2026 (almost six months late) ...

The annual Assessment of the HOA didn't increase until January 1, 2026, and then it went up only $50.00. Why only $50.00?  The Board could not increase the Assessment more than 10% without approval of the Voting Members. Ten percent of $510.00 ($255.00 x 2) was $51.00. $50.00 was less than 10%. ($50.00 was not enough!) The question of whether the Voting Members would have approved a larger increase is irrelevant. There weren't, and aren't, enough legitimate Voting Members to do anything! One current board member said the dues had not increased in 15 years. Everyone knows that costs increased in the past 15 years! If operating costs increased but dues didn't, where did the funds come from? I can only guess, but a factual answer is available. The past Board Treasurers should know. The past Board Presidents should know. The past Boards should know. And the current Treasurer, President, and Board should know. Are "The Three Monkeys" alive and well in The Summit?...

Another week has passed. The March Board Meeting was March 3. The next Board Meeting will be May 5 (unless Members (homeowners) demand a return to monthly meetings). For 20+ years, the Board of Directors meet monthly, with meetings open to homeowners and residents. Why is it that THIS Board wants to show up in public only every other month? And doesn't want residents to attend (or maybe just one resident not to attend)? This Board directs the Association of 2,480 properties. It is accountable to 2,480 property owners. It's not a secret society. It's a South Carolina non-profit corporation. Oh, just email your questions to the office, where a Town & Country clerk might reply to you.  Or might not. Is that  what you want? They don't reply to me. Do they reply to you? There is a lot of open business that the Board is responsible for. How can Members know what is being done? What is the Board doing about the $126,351 that was "invested" in an annuity? On who...

For $126,351 to be moved out of a Reserve fund at South Carolina Federal Credit Union, there must have been action by the Board of Directors; right? For $126,351 to be invested in an annuity, there must have been action by the Board of Directors; right? What should those actions have been? Receipt and study of a proposal to do so; Hearing a presentation of the proposal to do so; Studying and evaluating the pros and cons; Being informed of any relationship between the salesman and the buyer or Annuitant; Being informed who the Annuitant would be; Being informed of side-by-side "numbers" (year-end values for each of the first five years), since cash might be needed for expenses for Reserve items; Being informed of sales commissions and other expenses of the purchase; Beng informed of any expenses for borrowing against or for terminating the annuity at various intervals. Assuming that the transaction was finalized before the board election on November 18, 2025, who were the boar...

According to the Property Manager's (PM) report distributed at the March 3, 2026 Board of Directors Meeting, the 2024 Annual Audit had been received. The PM's report was dated February 24, 2026. This meant that the PM (Robert Williamson) had the 2024 Annual Audit by February 24th! Once received, it should have been promptly posted on the HOA's website. The Auditor reviews the HOA's financial reporting and makes a determination on the accuracy and the completeness of the year's financial reporting. He reports any errors, omissions, and corrective steps needed. The Auditor has the final word. The 2024 Annual Audit was conducted by L. Douglas Johnson, CPA. A CPA by that name is found through a Google search in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Minutes of the October 7, 2025 Board Meeting (Danny Trapp was still Board President at that time) contain an approved Motion for $7,039. Upon first  reading, I thought that was a payment approved for a completed Audit. I was wrong...

How interested is the HOA's Board of Directors in working together? With one another? Could a cohesive unit be built for all seven to work for the benefit of the Association's (2,480 Members)? Or will a "hard split" continue? Before November 18, 2025, the "hard split" was 5-2. Danny Trapp and followers vs. Brenda and Linda. Prior to that, the clique (Justin and Vernell) ran things, and the others went along. Before that, it was Justin and George. Now the "hard split" is 4-3. How well do the seven directors communicate? On a scale of 1-10, what would your guess be? 4? 3? Worse? Would it be beneficial and productive for the Board to hire a skilled facilitator and use the DiSC profile to gain a greater understanding of how each communicates? The DiSC profile is " a research-validated, four-quadrant behavioral assessment tool —Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness—used to improve work productivity, teamwork, and communication by ...

According to public records on the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit Public Index, Plaintiff Michele Rattray filed a Complaint in Pontiac Magistrate's Court on February 12, 2026 against Brenda Bryant, Thomas Lummel (Jeff), Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore. Her Complaint mirrors closely the Complaint on file in Blythewood Magistrate's Court by Vernell Butler against the same four persons. No Answers to Rattray's Complaint are recorded as filed yet by the Defendants. In the Public Index for Case No.  2026CV4010900304  are two newer entries: a Motion to Dismiss and a Motion for Change of Venue.  There is also an entry on the Rattray case page that the Defendants are now represented by Attorney Lillian Reid Lawrence. Attorney Lawrence is with MGC Law , a very large regional law firm. (Attorney Rattray also represents the four defendants in Butler's case in the Blythewood Magistrate's Court, but public record does not yet reflect the filing of her Appearance t...

The Summit HOA seems to have backed off its position that street parking in The Summit is not allowed. The March 2026 Summit Scoop carries this message on Page 5 in the "Did You Know" section: " Please be mindful of street parking throughout the community to help keep roadways clear for emergency vehicles, school buses, and neighbors. Whenever possible, use driveways and garages, and avoid parking in areas that block traffic flow or visibility." This is quite different than the threatening (and incorrect) messages posted in The Summit Scoop by former Board President Danny Trapp in mid-2025. And quite different than the email sent to me on November 12, 2024 from William Hill, former Safety Committee chairman, which read, "We are not allowed to park in the streets." He never answered my two emailed requests for the reason that "we" could not park in the streets. Homeowners and residents in Autumn Run should take note. The signs prohibiting street p...

" Community associations often tell owners that transparency is a cornerstone of good governance." That was the lead sentence is the CIAMBA SubStack email today about "the 175 East Delaware Place HOA   inside the former John Hancock Center." That HOA is in Chicago. Has The Summit's HOA's Board ever talked about the importance of transparency? Have they done more than just "talk about it? What could they be transparent about? The $126,351.61 moved without Board vote from Reserves to an "investment" in an Annuity (on whom?) Whether defense of the separate litigations against Brenda Bryant, Jeff Lummel, Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore by Vernell Butler and Michele Rattray (in different magistrate courts) is being funded by the HOA or its insurance company. Although the four defendants in each legal action are directors and officers of the HOA, the HOA is not a defendant and the four Defendants are not named as officers or directors by eithe...

The Summit HOA's Board of Directors should immediately announce a Special-Called Board Meeting and make it open to the Membership. It should not be a closed, private, secret meeting. Documentation in the form published Minutes should promptly be published on the HOA's website (within days of the Meeting, not weeks). The topics? The annuity that is shown on the January 31, 2026 Balance Sheet and the $126,351.61 that was apparently withdrawn from savings or money market to pay for it. Who is named as the Annuitant? I've heard one name mentioned. Why would it be anyone else? There are probably 25 questions that should be asked and answered. Some of them are listed here . The HOA should be brutally honest (transparent) with the Members. It is the Board of Directors (Bryant, Lummel, Potter, Turley-Moore, Holmes, Hill, Weatherbee) who must ask these questions without flinching. Five of them were on the Board that was sitting when the transactions took place, assuming the transact...

According to the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit Public Index, on March 5th* (Thursday) an Answer was filed to Vernell Butler's Complaint against four homeowners in The Summit. The four homeowners are Brenda Bryant, Thomas Lummel (known as Jeff), Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore. Vernell is a former Board Member and past Treasurer of the HOA. He applied to run for the Board and was selected by the Nominating Committee, which was chaired by Tanisha Holmes, Board Vice-President. Vernell, along with others, was slated as a candidate in the November 18, 2025 Board election.  Although he was nominated, he was not elected. Only one of the five candidates of the Nominating Committee was elected; that was Linda Potter. Four nominees of the Nominating Committee were not elected. Voting Members elected three good applicants who had not been nominated by the Nominating Committee as candidates. The Nominating Committee had no good reason to deny those three. Brenda Bryant (incumben...

At the monthly Board Meetings the hand-out includes the current issue of The Summit Scoop (5 pages). When the packet was distributed at the March 3, 2026 Board Meeting, I'm sure many attendees found it very helpful to receive a copy of the February HOA Calendar. (Snark, snark) It costs time and money to make many copies of those five pages for each packet. Why aren't people  thinking ? I recall watching a Jean Robertson comedy routine, in which she held her hands in front of her as if she were lovingly holding a person's head while she asked, "Is there anyone in there?" Why not put an announcement in the packet that directs homeowners and residents to the current issue of The Summit Scoop on the HOA's website? Or just mention it in the meeting? Or not say anything about it at all?

The HOA's Board of Directors missed a huge opportunity last month. On January 30th I requested a meeting with the Board.  Its lawsuit against me had been dismissed on January 13th. I was hoping for an opportunity to discuss some things and clear the air. Instead, I was told that the Board had voted unanimously not to offer me a settlement. The problem? I had not requested a settlement. I had requested a meeting . All the issues I've raised are not my issues. They are your issues. I don't mind waving your flag. In fact, I enjoy it! Just yesterday I told a friend on the phone that I'm glad South Carolina does not charge me an Amusement Tax for all the fun I've having.

How much of the Board's work should be secretive? How much should be confidential? Practically none, as I see it. As they see it? A lot. They don't want the Members knowing about a lot of it. For example, recently I wrote about the substantial decline in Reserves . Why didn't the Board discuss and vote on every withdrawal from Reserves? It's not their money. It's your money! The annuity is an issue that should be made public. I'm sure they like to sweep that one under the carpet. It's "only" $126,351. Who is the Annuitant? Who participated in the decision to buy it?  What are the details? An annuitant must be a living person? Who was the board member who is the Annuitant? Who participated in the decision to "invest" liquid funds in that less-than-liquid "investment"? What is its Actual Net Cash Value right now ? How many deadbeats are there out of 2,480 properties? Accounts Receivable (1/31/2026) are $703,252. Seriously??? If th...

When The Summit's HOA paid invoices from the law firm (Turner Padget) for legal fees and costs associated with the case against Gus Philpott, did a crime occur every time the HOA issued a check? When the Association filed the case (actually, Danny Trapp told the lawyers to file it) in December 2024, the Board of Directors had never voted on it. The Board never approved filing the lawsuit. In fact, the Board could not approve it, because the CC&Rs prohibit it without the prior approval of 75% of the Voting Members. The Voting Members were never asked to approve it, and they never did approve it. The HOA paid thousands of dollars in legal fees and costs. It's difficult to determine the total amount, because the HOA has not published monthly financial statements on its website since August 2025. At that time, Legal/Professional Fees (Line 6500) for eight months totaled $16,224.44. That total might include general legal advice and services, other than the lawsuit. I estimate th...

What's the right answer to that question, here in The Summit's HOA? Only one answer is correct. The Board President? The Board's leadership team (Pres., VP,  Sec'y., Treas.)? The Board of Directors? The management company? The Voting Members? The Members (homeowners) of the Association? The Association itself, composed of its 2,480 Members? All of the above? None of the above? "Association counsel are hired to advise boards and help them comply with the law. Their role is to protect the legal interests of the association as a whole — not merely to defend the actions of incumbent board leadership." This wise, clear statement in quotes comes from an industry newsletter I receive weekly from CIAMBA's SubStack. If you would like to see the entire email, request it from me and I shall forward it to you. In the not-too-distant past, I believe The Summit's HOA did not customarily use its attorney to advise the board. I also believe the attorney didn't hel...

Vernell Butler filed his case against Brenda Bryant, Linda Potter, Thomas (Jeff) Lummel, and Angelo Turley-Moore. Butler accused them of violating the South Carolina Nonprofit Corporation Act "by holding an invalid election to improperly seat board members..." Why didn't Vernell accuse the people who actually ran the election? The PRM (Art. III, §H, ¶14) states that "The Nominating Committee Chair or its designated representative will preside at the Election and will select several members from the audience to assist in the proceedings." The Nominating Committee Chair was Tanisha Holmes, not any one of the four Defendants. That Section raises the question as to whether the election of directors should be held during the open, November Board Meeting, not in the Annual Meeting of Voting Members. The PRM (Art. III, §H, ¶15) states that "The Election Secretary will call the roll of all the Voting Members to determine whether a quorum of 51% of all the voting me...

How bad are the HOA's Debt Collection policy and practices? For many months in the past, the monthly financial statements produced by CAMS carried this statement: "Collection activity is currently conducted in accordance with Association policy." It was a boiler-plate statement, automatically printed every month, and probably looked at by no one (except me). The Accounts Receivable (Line 1205), as of 1/31/2026, are $703,252.57. A portion of that would be unpaid January 1st Assessments.  As of 8/31/2025, the last monthly Financial Operating Results published on the HOA's website, the Accounts Receivable totaled $588,984.71. No Financial Operating Results have been published on the HOA's website for September, October, November, December 2025, or January 2026. The Association Treasurers (there were three in 2025) never mention bad debts, slow-payers, or collection activity. For years I have suggested to the Boards that there is either something wrong with the "...