Discussion Forum>

Transparency

benniestoner
1 post
Jan 17, 2012
11:15 AM

Skip, Thank You for your thoughtful questions.The board has stated they welcome questions and I look forward to learning the answers also.
Those of us who are relatively new owners do not have the benefit of knowing the long history and probably should be expected to have more questions early on.
An open and robust communication between an HOA board and the owners they have a fiduciary responsibility to represent, is healthy and to be reasonably expected. Transparency tends to create a higher level of trust and cooperation, and fewer questions in the long run.
Some of us have experience with multiple HOA boards and bring those expectations to this board. I am accustomed to a board of owners who share my concerns, treat me with courtesy and respect, and endeavor to represent the common interests of all the owners. I am also accustomed to boards who only make major strategy and expense decisions based on a majority owner vote. I also expect a board to err on the side of over communicating so as not to risk being perceived with mistrust or of overstepping their authority.

I do not yet have enough experience with this board to have formed a firm opinion as to whether things are working as well as they might be,or should be. Early on, I too have questions and look forward to hearing answers without any overreaction to being asked to simply explain the rationale behind board actions.

I deeply appreciate the work done by volunteer board members and give them every benefit of the doubt as to having good intentions and being worthy of the high level of responsibility and trust placed in them. Open communication without defensive reactions tends to create the trust everyone wishes to have in our board.

John
1 post
Jan 29, 2012
1:50 PM

I would like to respond to the post of Tranparacy. I have owned at Las Palmas since it's conception. I am a Fractioned owner of G-403 and am currently its' manager. Two years ago I was not the manager. I was to accomany the manager at our annual meeting. She did not show. I asked to vote on her behalf. I was told I could not without a proxy from her. No vote
was cast by our unit. I was told by Dan that the CCR's prohibited any member from voting other than the manager. I then read the CCR's and found out there is no mention of manager or proxy. It states that any member can cast the one vote we are entitled. If there is another ower present that objects to this the vote is nullifed. This is clearly spelled out in the voting procedures. I sent this to
Bruce. He stated that he now believss any member can vote, and that I could hve voted two years ago.

In our last meeting the board was instruced to check into solar heating, and the cost to enclose the patio.They were to bring this information to the owners for a decision. For those at the meeting you know the rest. For those that were not, nothing was done. When I tried to ask Dan abut this, I was brushed off. I guess I do not warrent an answer.

I have questioned the payment of board members for expenses occurred. I looked it up and found that it does say this, and only this. It does not spell out what expenses occurred menas.I have revied other HOA By-Laws and in those looked at, they spell it out in detail for what can be legal expenses. Ours do not. Would you think that this should be determined by the owners, and not by board members who have little guidance by this rule?

Have you ever received a survey of owners on how we feel as to the general direction of the HOA? I have not received anything, but I was considered a non-voting owner in the past, and have received no E-mails as such. I just may have missed it.

The last point I would like to make is.We attended our last meeding. What we came for was the board telling us whaqt a great job they are doing, we re-elected Bruce, and approved a budget. I can't believe that I drove 500 miles for this.

If someone would like to discuss this by phone, please call me at 480 288-7266. My concers are real. I love Las Palmas and want the best for all of us.

John Guider