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They Raised the Dues AGAIN!!!!
The Brentwood Hills HOA Board of Directors have raised
the dues from $320 per year to over $460 per year over the
last two years ... a whopping 44% increase!!!!
I attended the Annual Brentwood Hills HOA Budget and Assessment meeting
and was a bit disappointed at the turnout of Association members. There
were roughly 12 people there, of which four were Board Members. I have
tried to come to grips with the turnout being so low and have received several
explanations from fellow Association members ... some indicating that 7 PM on
a weeknight is not convenient and some indicating that there is "no use",
referencing that the Board will do what the Board wants regardless of how the
Association members feel. While I understand the frustration from fellow
Association members, I do believe that without showing up and displaying one's
disappointment in decisions this Board is making, this Board is being misled. This
Board believes that the lack of turnout is a direct result of the Association
members being happy with this Board and this Association. However, I have
witnessed fellow members expressing the exact opposite ... there is quite a bit
of disappointment with this Association.
In all fairness to the current Board, which is led by Joe LoPresti
who has shown some desire to listen, the Board welcomed feedback during the
budget meeting without having the attendees wait until the end and giving them 3
minutes each to speak. There were no time limits for members wanting to speak and members'
comments were welcome throughout the meeting. This is the way all meetings
should be. The Board did decide to again raise the dues the maximum they could
without having to go to the members, 20 percent. In fact, one Board member was
reluctant to vote for the second increase of 20 percent in as many years ... she ended
up casting a Yea vote in the end.
While it was encouraging that there seemed
to be an increased form of representation during this meeting and less of "we know
what is best for you" by the Board, I was still disappointed that the Board did not
seek further input from those not in attendance. I believe that this Board should
have done what was done in the past ... send the proposed budget out to the Association
members and then hold a meeting to discuss and pass a budget. Another item I
was not too comfortable with is that Rick Pitrowski of Communities Of America was not
only in attendance, but he was a major contributor. I am not disputing that
Rick has knowledge in HOAs ... it is clearly a conflict of interest that he be allowed
to attend and contribute as he did. Had he not been in attendance, I suggest
that one of those in attendance might have suggested that the property management
fees are too high and need to be renegotiated. Furthermore, his input should
have been provided in a written statement presented at the Budget meeting without his
presence. In fact, I learned at the meeting that the budget was not prepared
by our Treasurer, but by Communities Of America ... Rick's attendance could have also
been seen as defending the proposed budget prepared by his company. Clearly,
this Board relies heavily on Rick for his input and this is one time they should have
relied more on the members' input ... they should have solicited input via mail after
realizing that the turnout at the meeting was not significant. One could argue
that such an expense is too high for sending the budget to the members via mail. However,
when the Board is about to raise the dues a total of 44 percent in two years, such
an expense for the mailing would be seen more reasonable.
Well, we are at another situation here. Are we going to just
sit here and take it? Or, are we ready for the next step and going to do something
about it? I am all for doing something about it. This Board over the
last 2 years have wasted our money by paying too much for landscaping and property
management. I am convinced that these two items are not the only expenses
that could have been avoided. The case I took against this board, to which I
lost (I am still trying to get the Arbitrator in the case to provide clear explanation
for her ruling ... her own department sided with my understanding and
interpretation of our "then" bylaws, which has me completely "baffled" as to why she
ruled the way she did), is said to have cost the Association several thousand
dollars ... even after I paid the awarded attorney's fees. The case could have
been avoided completely had the Board acted on my invitation for a meeting to
discuss my concerns ... instead, the Board turned a "cold shoulder" to an Association
member and I filed the case, which ended up costing all of us several thousand
dollars. Am I really to blame here ... I did not suggest at all to the Board
for them to take a "cold shoulder" with me ... I explained that if they did not respond
that I would be forced to pursue things legally through the State ... therefore,
they were warned what I was going to do ... in fact, they told my neighbor that I was
an idiot and that I would lose ... they did not inicate to my neighbor that the
Association would also lose (money spent for attorneys and expenses for the case that
were not awarded) ... instead, they used Association money to blame me in a newsletter
and in the mailing sent with the elections packet for wasting Association money as a
result of my case ... who were the ones that actually should be blamed here ... they
need to take responsibility for their actions, own up to their mistake, and quit blaming
others for their own mistakes ... something, they clearly have indicated in the past
that they won't do. I spent over $7,000 and many hours of my personal time on
a case I fully believed in ... does anyone think for a moment that I would spend such money
if I was wrong or could lose? In the end, I came through with my promise and
filed the case as a result of the Board's "cold shoulder" approach ... I really wished
they would have met with me and avoided the case, it would have saved the association several thousand
dollars and would have saved me over $7,000. Finally, trying to place blame on me for
their tactics ("cold shoulder" approach), which cost all of us several thousand dollars
is a new low this Board has gone to.
I am looking for any and all suggestions to increase the effectiveness of this
website as a Brentwood Hills Information Portal. Please provide me feedback and your
suggestions to either of the addresses at the bottom of this page or click Leave Comments
on the left.
Steve
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