That was the response of our "Rules and Regulations" Director to a Unit Owner request to inspect an alleged violation to the rules. This is a direct quote from our Association meeting of March 11.
Sounds like "open season" for rules. Oh, but our CD and the R&R Directors are so concerned about making our "renters" welcome here at BLMH! To put it bluntly, they seem to have a problem with determining what they are supposed to be doing, as members of the "Board of Managers". Or perhaps we should rename this the "Board of Social Directors"? For example, let's make the renters and our friends feel warm and fuzzy while vandals run loose in the streets, water sprouts destroy our trees and the streets disintegrate. But we have funds for "coffee and donuts" for our friends to come visit us at the IHOP!! Gee, just like the city of Wheaton. Makes one feel simply wonderful, like the Mayor, doesn't it? Well, this will continue for as long as each unit owner sends that check each month for $300. That will fund a lot of "discretionary items" even if they aren't in the budget, and even if the reserves are underfunded. But these are "good things", or so they believe, and so they tell us, and so it will be. And that is the only critiria. What they "believe" is reality.
I have a few questions for our most illustrious and beneficent board. Do our renters send that money to the lock box each month? No, they don't. Do our renters have perhaps $190,000 invested here? No, they don't. And when our renters are behind in their payments, who "eats" this? And who is held accountable for payment of that association fee and the real estate taxes? Certainly not the renter or "occupant". It is the Unit Owner, who is a Member of the Association, who pays his or her association fees, the taxes and the mortgage. That's who. So why the emphasis of our CD for our "poor" renters? It seems that to be a renter at BLMH is to be "the flavor of the month". Perhaps our CD, R&R Director and others on the board are merely fully committed to flushing the money of the unit owners, and at the unit owners expense. Who knows? Her official position is that this is "a good thing". Really? and for whom? And why should I or anyone else who has a vested interest at BLMH ever believe this individual?
Frankly, where in anyone's job description does it say anything about this kind of behavior? Oh, I forgot, here at BLMH our board members are allowed to create their job titles, and to pick and choose their job responsibilities and duties. So the person who makes the Newsletter becomes our "Communications Director", our R&R Director states to unit owners that inspections or rule enforcements "Isn't in my job description", etc. One member of the board doesn't have even have any specific duties. Obviously, even without a "Landscaping Director" we have more than enough people on the board to carry out all of the ephemeral duties of the board.
Apparently, if the member of the board doesn't want or like a task or if there are tasks that we consider as "unpalatable", or difficult, those duties are simply "dropped out" or pushed over to the board president or some other responsible member of the board to do. As members of the Board of Managers, we'll pick our jobs and do that which works "for me". Part of what works "for me" is making the people I choose to champion feel welcome here; by shirking our duties, ignoring our responsibilities and just as the little children we are, by not doing the things we don't like to do, simply because "I'm not going to and you can't make me - so there."
So the person who decided to be "responsible" for the newsletter selected the title "Communications Director." Based on her actions and my observations, I really do think that "Social Director" would be far more appropriate. Too bad this isn't a retirement home. However, with the latest change in direction, perhaps "Director of Rentals" would be more appropriate. It probably doesn't matter, as long as the title is "Director" of something. How about "Grand Poobah"; yes, that sounds simply "grand".
It truly is amazing how capable some of our directors are, why, they can do anything! Anything that is, that has absolutely nothing to do with "fiduciary duties" or any of the other aspects of running this business. Administrators simply "administer", they hire and fire and let the minions or lesser members of the board "do the work" and "do the heavy lifting". Isn't that wonderful!
Returning to the subject of this post, I can understand that people take on responsibilities they aren't equipped to fulfill, particularly if they are sold a bill of goods by their "friend" on the board. When the going gets tough, or uncomfortable, or I simply don't feel like it, all one has to do is turn to the unit owners and say "It's not in my job description".
Above: Intermittently, for a time, boards informed owners of association finances
Newsletter 2008 excerpt is an example of earlier board willingness to communicate with owners.
The boards of 2019-2021 prefer not to do so.
https://tinyurl.com/BLMH2021
Life and observations in a HOA in the Briarcliffe Subdivision of Wheaton Illinois
Best if viewed on a PC
"Briarcliffe Lakes Manor Homes" and "Briarcliffe Lakes Homeowners Association"
Updated Surplus Numbers
Updated Surplus Numbers: Actual surplus 2018 per audit was $85,163.
Boards 2011-2018 implemented policies and procedures with specific goals:
stabilize owner fees, achieve maintenance objectives and achieve annual budget surpluses.
Any surplus was retained by the association.
The board elected in fall 2018 decided to increase owner fees, even in view of a large potential surplus
Average fees prior to 2019
Average fees per owner prior to 2019:
RED indicates the consequences had boards continued the fee policies prior to 2010,
BLUE indicates actual fees. These moderated when better policies and financial controls were put in place by boards
Better budgeting could have resulted in lower fees
Better budgeting could have resulted in lower fees:
RED line = actual fees enacted by boards,
BLUE line = alternate, fees, ultimately lower with same association income lower had
boards used better financial controls and focused on long term fee stability
Norm, what was the alleged violation of the rules you refer to?
ReplyDeleteUgh...Norm...take a Midol bro.
ReplyDeleteThe alleged violation was in a common area of the association.
ReplyDeleteNorm,
ReplyDeleteYou're getting too worked up about something so small in life (you're condo's HOA of all things). Do you ever smile or laugh? Or just continue to write philosophical essays on your blog about tree sprouts and reserve funds? You are more grumpy than Mr. Potter for christ's sake. Enjoy what's left of your baby boomer years and shut off your computer. You trying to be the martyr for non-ROC supporting unit owners is a pathetic waste of time.
Anon 12:39, that tells me nothing of what the alleged violation was. Please clarify.
ReplyDeleteAnon. 5:05pm. Thanks for the advice. I have a very full life and this blog is either the appetizer or the dessert. I am married to a wonderful woman and have two great sons. I run a very vital business; for example, for the past two weeks I was at two different US industrial facilities, working with the management and hourly, production workers to achieve something that was, in one case "difficult" and in the other "impossible". We, and by that I mean "I" and my clients, including management and the hourly workers, as a team, achieved or exceeded all expectations and requirements. In other words, in one case we did achieve what "experts" said was "the impossible". This didn't happen overnight, and on one project I have been working since September 24, 2009, as well as my myriad other responsibilities. I am empowered by working with organizations in such circumstances. That's my purpose in life. It really isn't about those here at BLMH, because in large measure it is about me being who I am and expressing who I am, and making a difference. At some point circumstances may intervene, and certainly such things as "the elimination of all preventable industrial accidents in my lifetime", which is an "impossible promise" I made about 15 years ago, will and does supersede our small problems here. However, I will continue to make a difference in any way I can. As I tell those I coach, "life is a choice" and we have very little time on the planet. How we use it is our individual choice. Certainly, living here at BLMH is also a choice and at some time I may choose not to. At that point, I may simply rent my unit to some family that would love to live here, and I do mean that literally. I don't need this unit, I can live just about anywhere I choose to, and I could give this unit away if that was my desire. So I am not bound by either greed or fear.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Norm, your last post was a little contradictory in nature. You are the only one that keeps bringing up the assessments and reserves at BLMH. I don't have your money to be able to just walk away from my condo, but I also am not complaining about the assessments or the reserves. They are what they are, controlled by the board of directors who aren't anymore aware of reality than you are. Like I said before, you are full of yourself and like to brag, be it on this blog and probably in your everyday conversations.
ReplyDeleteThis is per our Rules and Regulations Director and was posted in the December 2009 Newsletter by that R&R Director:
ReplyDelete"Rules & Regulations
As of November 2009, a new procedure for handling violations went into effect. We believe that this new course of action will be more neighborly while still emphasizing the need for community-wide compliance with our rules and regulations.
Here’s how the process works:
1. Violations are typically reported in one of three ways:
a) Residents observe violations and notify Management or the Rules & Regulations director.
b) Management discovers violations.
c) R&R director notices violations.
2. First United provides R&R director with pertinent info regarding all violations that have been reported, including location, date, time, and nature of the violation. First United will take no action at this initial reporting stage unless the violation is creating an emergency situation.
3. The R&R director (instead of Management) will make first contact with the individual believed to be in violation—either by a phone call, a letter, or a personal visit. The director will ask the homeowner to correct the violation within five days. This request will serve as a warning. If the violation has not been corrected after five days, the director will notify the responsible individual that he or she will be fined for non-compliance with the association rules and regulations.
4. First United will be instructed by the R&R director to place a fine on the homeowner’s account.
We hope that these changes will promote good will by helping homeowners to understand the purpose of our rules and regulations. Ultimately, we hope that this new protocol will reduce the number of violations and subsequent fines."
I think we have a problem here, folks!
Didn't you know, at BLMH there are no rule violations. We are a friendly homogenous group that have been enveloped by love. Besides, since the R&R director works full time and does not have time to do her job and has indicated that most of the actual job tasks are "not part of her job description" - then do you know what?, we can have a free for all!! Park those vehicles for weeks at a time, have ten animals living with you - let your animals run loose - leave your garbage/trash out for several days, use the streets as a racetrack, store whatever you want in the garages or hallways, disrupt your neighbors lives to your heart content - wow, the possibilities are endless!
ReplyDelete