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September 10, 2005
Apathetic Owner "Reactionitis"
Apathy is probably the biggest problem in HOAs. People purchase in a CID expecting "care free" living and once on the "inside", most go into hibernation as to association actitivies and meetings until the Board pushes for a response on something big. Updating documents is something big. It never ceases to amaze me how doing something so beneficial like updating and improving the governing documents, making them readable, understandable, and more user-friendly can draw unbridled and unjustified criticism for a board that has worked their rear ends off at a very tedious and important task. If you can't imagine that its much of a commitment, try reading your own governing documents which include the CC&Rs, Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation in one sitting. One website visitor said after recently volunteering to serve on her board to help out, and appointed as Secretary, the board sent out proposed updated governing documents for a vote they had been working on for quite a long time to replace documents that were more than 20 years old. Her description of the member reactions: " ... shouting, fist-waving, ugly notes stuck on doors & terrible ill-will. She was "... kind of traumatized ... for awhile after that and the vote being unsuccessful..." and she says that "... friends don't understand". She found some solace in following my blog, finding out that it's not a perfect world in HOA land.
It's true, no one except a board member who has served on a board during a document update process can understand the frustration that occurs when members criticize the work. The Board can work on a project for months and years, keep the owners informed through a newsletter, discuss matters at open board meetings (which tend to be lacking in owner attendance unforetunately), can review several drafts and read dull paperwork until their eyes are bleary, and then become the brunt of unnecessary criticism. And at the meetings I have been to (which have been many - over 100 in the past 5 years) to answer questions, my experience is that those who criticize most vocally generally have an "ax to grind" that is totally unrelated to the update process or what is written in the governing documents. For more on document amendments that shift some responsibility to the owners, see the next blog.
Posted by Beth Grimm at September 10, 2005 10:28 PM