The 2024 OVA Board of Director’s election is critical to our Future Financial Well Being
I was a member of the Bylaws Revision Committee (BRC). We presented our revisions to the Board of Directors in May, 2019.
We recommended that the OVA Board vote on only one by law at first, so that a majority would be achieved with a lower quorum threshold.
We recommended Town Hall meetings to educate the residents about our suggestions for revision. The OVA Board held the first Town Hall in September, 2020. There was another Town Hall in November, 2020.
At the December 15, 2020 Board meeting, the Board decided that “it makes no sense to carry this forward until such time as we can re-approach this with a clean slate. We’re not saying never, we’re just saying not now.” (quote from Tom Kendrick, OVA Board President and liaison to the BRC.) Bylaw revisions were not addressed by this Board or by the 2021, 2022, and 2023 OVA Boards.
I wonder if two of the Bylaw revisions in particular were the reasons for ignoring all the BRC suggested revisions. The two Bylaw revisions that pose a problem for large Capital Improvement plans that certain current Board members are promoting are:
Article XII – Member Approval
Article 12.1 states ”A membership vote is required prior to Board approval of a Capital Improvement, the total cost of which is over 20% of the average of the Association’s audited, total operating expenses for the past three fiscal years.” For the vote to succeed, a quorum of 25% of the members would have to vote, and 60% of those voting would have to vote for the measure. The majority of committee members felt this Article would ensure that residents were included in determining Oakmont’s future.
Article XIII – Project Bids
Article 13.4 – Project Manager “For any Capital Improvement and/or maintenance exceeding 5% of the average of the Association’s audited, total operating expenses for the past three years, the Association shall retain the services of a qualified non-resident third party project manager to exclusively represent the best interests of the Association. The Project Manager shall report to the Board of Directors.”
2024 OVA Board Election
There are 3 candidates that have committed to undertake Bylaw revisions. I intend to support them. They are Heidi Klyn, Jerry Gladstone, and Matt Oliver.
Lynda, thank you for refreshing my cloudy memory. And of course thank for your past work on our behalf. While I think the cost threshold needed to trigger a member vote is too high, the proposal then was a giant step in the right direction.
In any case, now is the time to work for what this community needs, a wave election that begins to correct the governing imbalance between board and members.