The Power & Ludicrousness of a Home Owners Association

The other day, reading news feeds off the Internet I came across an article about a Home Owners Association in Texas that was filling a lawsuit against one of their Homeowners for violating the rules of the association.  The rule in question was one that prohibited residents from displaying any type of decal advertising on their vehicles.  The vehicle was the residents private car.  The decal that was deemed offensive was the Marine Corps logo of which the homeowner was a retired member.  A disabled retired member; someone who fought for their country.  When word got out to the media as to what the HOA wanted to do they pulled back and offered a compromise; cover up the stickers with magnetic panels whenever he is in the association, or at home for that matter.  I could go on and on with other stories from all over the country about overzealous Home Owner Associations and the crazy rules they try or do enact.  How about the HOA in Louisiana that forced a home into foreclosure because they were $800 behind on their dues because they were serving in Iraq!  Google HOA horror stories and you will find hundreds of articles on this subject, some of them funny, others sad, but all of them a lesson in management.

The difference between a manager and a leader is simple, a manager manages, usually by a set of rules or a policy.  A leader leads and that includes the use of discretion and a bigger vision of what is the right thing to do, not just what the book or bylaws tell me I have to do.  I was at a neighborhood party recently and one of the residents asked me if we, the board, were going to make any changes to the bylaws and start adding rules here and there etc.  I was a little surprised since none of us volunteered for the position because we needed something else to do much less change rules and bylaws because we can.  In fact, we can't make any changes without homeowner by-in and a vote.  We need a quorum to implement any changes to the by-laws and frankly I am not sure what additional rules we would even want to put into place.  Hans Hagen did a pretty good job of including the basic common sense and logic rules like keep up the exterior of your home, not having 15 cars in your driveway etc.  And, for the most part everyone within the Preserve East has been very good about respecting the rules in place.  So, with all that said, we as your board have no plans on adding rules or regulations.  Our responsibility is to the common areas of the Preserve and upholding the by-laws in place, other than that, we are not going to get power hungry and start changing things around to suit our needs, beliefs or ideas.

Finally, as you all have seen, the first bill of 2012 was mailed out last week and we have made some changes to the statement that allows you to see your billing history as well as any outstanding dues from prior years.  I want to thank those of you who have already either paid the bill or have informed us that you will be paying it soon.  We appreciate every ones willingness to take responsibility for our neighborhood and do their part.  We the board, are just here to administer; we as homeowners, all of us, are here to raise our families and create or preserve a safe, healthy and fun place to live.  

Happy New Year!

We as your HOA Board want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very prosperous, healthy and fun New Year.  We are looking forward to 2012 as the first full year of the Preserve East being in the hands of the Homeowners.  The board will be meeting soon to discuss what projects we would like to undertake this year for the common areas.  Our first order of business will be to line up the sprinkler service and landscaping services for the warmer months.

And along with the start of this year will come your bill for the first installment payment of your annual dues.  There are no increases planned at this time and I would encourage everyone to please pay your bills on time so that we as an association can make the necessary payments we have such as water, lights and services.  Without every ones help in paying their bill, the burden of covering these expenses falls heavier on your neighbors and friends.  We currently have quite a few homes who have missed payments or in some cases not paid at all.  When each of us decided to build in this neighborhood we understood that part of the appeal and charm were the common areas that need to be maintained by the association and that we have an obligation to keep up with our payments to help preserve (no pun intended) the look and feel of our community.  With the first bill of 2012 you will also receive a letter stating what your past due amount is if any.  You will have a chance to pay it in full at the time you make your 1st 2012 payment.  Anyone who has not paid their past due amount with their first payment will be assessed a fine of up to 8% of the past due amount which will continue to be added with each subsequent delinquent payment.  This is something we would rather avoid, but as we stated, this is OUR HOA now, not Hans Hagen's.  They have no authority over the common areas of our neighborhood and in fact are simply associate members of the vacant lots still in the community of which they pay dues on as well.

So we don't end on a down note, we would like to thank all of those homeowners who do pay their association fees on time and regularly.  Without this, we cannot maintain our common areas that help define our neighborhood as one of the premier communities within the St Michael Albertville area.

Again, have a happy and safe New Year and thank you for your commitment to our neighborhood, Preserve East.

Preserve East Home Owner Association Hand Over

I want to take this opportunity to inform you of recent changes in the Preserve East Homeowners association and introduce you to the Association board.

First, as was always stated in the bylaws of the association, once the development reached 130 occupied homes, the association would be turned over to the Homeowners and residents.  This transition took place in July of this year through a vote by those Homeowners who participated in a meeting held by Hans Hagen.  Once the association was turned over, a board was selected from those participants who wished to serve.  Your Preserve East Homeowners association board is made up of the following people, all of whom live in the Preserve East neighborhood;

Denise Hehir – Vice President;

Shawn Dusosky – Treasurer;

Maureen Buss – Secretary

Wendy Lindquist – Member at Large

Eric Pohl – President

As your board it is our responsibility to oversee all common areas of the development which consists primarily of the median in the middle of Oakwood Parkway.  We are responsible for contracting all landscaping services, sprinkler system services and any additional enhancements we elect to contract such as Christmas lighting.  Going forward, we are also responsible for the collection of the annual homeowners’ assessments which provide the funds for these services and projects.  We will be sending out 2012 statements in January with the first payment due in February.  As a reminder, if you still have not paid a portion or all of your assessments for 2011, or any other year, please do so now.  We are looking into ways to allow for electronic transfers for future assessment payments, but in the meantime all payments should be sent to the following address; Preserve East HOA, PO Box 305, St. Michael MN 55376.

As your board, and homeowners ourselves, it is our commitment to continue to provide and enhance our neighborhoods attractiveness and desirability as a place to live and raise a family.  For this reason, we have created a blog for our neighborhood that can be viewed at http://preserve-east-stm.blogspot.com/  We will be providing updates and neighborhood news on a periodic basis as well as uploading documents and information relevant to our Home Owners Association.  As well, we have set up an email address where you can email us with your concerns, comments and questions.  That address is PreserveEastSTM@gmail.com  We encourage all homeowners and residents to check out the blog as well as send us your email information so that we can begin to maintain communication electronically for neighborhood updates etc.  We will not share nor send you any emails regarding non-HOA news or activities.

In closing, we would like to thank all of you in advance for your support as your board and encourage you to become active in our neighborhood.