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May 15, 2005
Each Association is Unique
While going through the news items today, I ran across one from Alaska that had to do with wild bears and associations cautioning their owners to properly store things that attract them. It reminded me of my first visit to Alaska many years ago to talk to a group of community association leaders and area professionals. I used my standard opening, "that while they thought their problems might be new, most association issues were similar and that they could find people to help who had been through it before". The first question from a board member was "How do you deal with herds of moose roaming through the common areas during mating season?" I no longer use that standard opening.
Every association deals with violations, pets, parking, noise, etc. But each occurrence is unique. That is simply because the individual owner involved is unique. Two people building a fence that is 6' tall instead of the allowed 4' will probably have different reasons for doing so. And the association is at least going to have to take a look at those reasons if it doesn't want to end up on the evening news.
Organizations like CAI and others publish a lot of material that helps boards determine WHAT it is they are supposed to do. Even the articles on our web site often are simply checklists and bullet points designed to make sure you don't forget something. But we're all pretty weak on HOW to go about it. That's basically because we can't cover every situation where individuals are involved. I am reminded of this constantly from the e-mail I receive from board members who want to do what's right, but are often unsure of how to deal with the situation at hand.
Well, there are no hard and fast rules. Your association has developed its own character and traits and will continue to evolve as people move in and out and new leaders take office. Boards are elected to make decisions and managers and other professionals are retained to offer knowledgeable advice. All you can do is to take the advice and make your decision, hopefully with common sense and empathy. Maybe, before you sit down at the next board meeting, you might remind yourself of the Golden Rule as it was originally set down and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
Posted by joewest at May 15, 2005 10:09 AM