Hollyhills Grapevine Newsletter and Blog If your board members are allowed to have their way, there will be no freedom of speech practiced within your community. The only voice to be heard will be that of your board. If you do not protect your rights, there will always be someone more than willing to take them away from you. Our Mission Statement We are a group of concerned Hollyhills residents who feel our community could greatly benefit from more homeowner participation. We feel there is a need for more open communication as well as an outlet for the expression of diverse points of view. To insure that we all live in a community of our own design, we would like to see the homeowners included in the decision making process. The Hollyhills pool closure is an example of the HOA Board making “big” decisions that are not in their authority to make without a vote of the homeowners. The Board has come to the conclusion that Hollyhills is so apathetic that they don’t need to call a vote. This is only one decision they are making without our involvement. This has to stop. Each time it will get easier and easier for them to make decisions of greater monetary hardship to the community. How about a dues increase and/or an assessment on top of that dues increase? Do be surprised! It is coming. Our goal is to reinstate the simple principals of American democracy, and eliminate the influence of a HOA board that does not consider the community in decisions that normally require a vote of the homeowners. Ours is a vision of openness and inclusion, and to that end, we have created the “Hollyhills Grapevine Newsletter” and blog. Apathy: the root of all HOA evil Sooner or later, most people who live in common interest developments become disenchanted with their management company or board of directors, or, most likely, both. Yet, they will often endure their resentment in silence; they don’t know what to do, and so they do nothing—they become apathetic. What these homeowners don’t realize is that the most powerful weapon that overzealous boards of directors have against the homeowners is the homeowner’s own apathy towards community involvement. HOA Boards have learned this lesson well and they count on it to give them a free hand in the governance of your community; they have seen it happen again and again: the control of a homeowners association is passed from the developer to the homeowners; an overwhelming majority of the homeowners quickly become disinterested, and a small clique becomes entrenched on the board of directors. Problems begin to occur when the entrenched board becomes convinced no one knows or cares what is going on in the neighborhood. It’s an extremely common situation all over the country. You will see this scenario played out right here in Hollyhills. Apathy exists throughout our society, but it is particularly damaging where homeowners associations are concerned. Homeowners associations lack the system of checks and balances necessary to provide oversight and accountability. There are no provisions in the CC&Rs that address these issues. The only measure of oversight and accountability that can be brought to bear on a homeowners association has to come from the homeowners themselves. If their presence is not felt, it’s likely abuses will occur. A small, but growing, group of concerned homeowners have decided to attend every meeting of the board of directors; it would be in the best interest of every homeowner in the community if you would join them. The next scheduled meeting of the Hollyhills Homeowners Association is set for July 17, 2013 this Wednesday.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 19:33:22 +0000
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