- Target:
- Residents of the Villas at Five Ponds
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.fiveponds.org
Currently, the Board of Directors of the Villas at Five Ponds Community Association meet monthly, in private, to conduct business of the Association and to make decisions on matters of importance to the Residents of the VFP. Most of the decisions made are to enact new rules that affect the quality of life in our community, and impact on the Residents' enjoyment of our homes.
The Board makes these decisions without seeking any input from the VFP residents, concluding that since they were duly elected to serve as directors, that therefore the residents have placed a trust in their oligarical decisions. In fact, residents elected the directors to LEAD the Association, not to BE the Association.
In 2007, the Board stated that the reason their meetings were not open to Association members was that, at the time, meetings were held off-site in a space that could not accommodate more attendees. Association members were assured that once our Clubhouse was open, the Board meetings would be open.
In the December 2008 issue of the Association's newsletter, Board member Joel Mickelberg writes in defense of closed meetings that open meetings require too much "behind the scenes preparation work"; would unduly require "an extra time burden on the Board"; that Board members are already "easily approachable"; that "if anyone wants to know what took place at a Board meeting they can simply read the public minutes"; and "if anyone wants to talk to the Board on a formal basis they can make that request in writing to our management company."
In response to this, Association members assert that Board members are only "easily approachable" when they agree with the issue; that talking to the Board on a formal basis after a decision is made does not give an opportunity for input on issues prior to their being made; the minutes have not been easily accessible; especially to residents without computer access; no extra time burden is required to open the doors to an audience and to allow a structured time for public comment.
We, all bona fide voting members in good standing of the Villas at Five Ponds Community Association ("VFPCA") call for a change in Section 7.08 of the VFP bylaws to require that:
• All regular meetings of the Executive Board of the Association be held either on weekday evening or weekend morning, so as to be more convenient to be attended by the majority of the Association members;
• Announced to the members of the VFPCA at least one week in advance through whatever means available or created – including but not limited to posting notices in the Clubhouse, blast e-mail/fax to members, postcard notices, and/or a list of upcoming meeting dates made available in a flyer or newsletter;
• Held in the ballroom of the VFPCA Clubhouse, 301 Clubhouse Lane, Warminster, PA;
• Open to any/all bona fide VFPCA members in good standing;
• Scheduled with up to 30 minutes of “public comments” by bona fide VFPCA members in good standing (maximum of 5 minutes each) to raise questions/concerns for the Board’s attention and handling.
• Privacy of individual residents’ names be kept when being discussed in application or in violation, etc., by having the Board assign and use code/claim numbers instead of names, or having the Board meet immediately prior to the Board meeting for one-hour in Executive Session (only to discuss resident issues or litigation).
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Five Ponds: Make All Board Meetings Open petition to Residents of the Villas at Five Ponds was written by Five Ponds and is in the category Neighborhood Living at GoPetition.