Proposed HOA policies

These are working drafts for homeowner and board review.

Architectural guidelines

These proposed guidelines replace subjective architectural decisions with clearer written standards, more consistent approvals and a process homeowners can understand.

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Know what is expected. Clearer standards cover landscaping, fences, decks, storage buildings, lighting and other exterior changes. Comparable projects must be treated consistently unless a written decision explains a specific site difference.
Get an explanation, not just a denial. Decisions must identify the requirements a project does not meet, explain why, and state what changes would make it approvable. Complete applications receive a written decision within 60 calendar days.
Protect reasonable property use. The proposal recognizes solar and antenna protections, including street-facing solar placement where needed for effective solar access. It also distinguishes in-kind repairs from rebuilds that change a structure's footprint, height or use.
Give neighbors a voice without a personal veto. Relevant concerns about drainage, setbacks and other written standards must be addressed. Personal taste alone is not grounds for denial.
Provide a fair appeal. Homeowners may appeal a denial or conditional approval, receive a written response, and request to present their case in person. Board members who participated in the original decision do not vote on the appeal.

Full proposal

Board communication

This proposed policy sets clear expectations for how the board treats homeowners, makes decisions and shares information.

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No surprise rule changes. Proposed changes must be published for homeowner feedback before a recorded board vote. Adopted rules must be published before they take effect.
Decisions homeowners can follow. Meeting minutes must be published within 14 days, explaining decisions, important votes and how homeowner submissions were handled.
Fair treatment and accountability. Directors must apply rules consistently, disclose conflicts, step aside from decisions involving personal interests, and oppose retaliation against homeowners.
Privacy without unnecessary secrecy. Personal information and protected legal advice stay confidential, but that cannot be used as a blanket reason to hide decisions or withhold entire meeting records.
Transparency that continues under future boards. Current and past policies remain publicly available, records must be handed to successors, and weakening these safeguards requires an extended public process. Knowingly bypassing them triggers documented review and, where legally permitted, restrictions on Association-funded defense costs.

Full proposal

Financial oversight

This proposed policy lets homeowners understand where Association money goes without having to make a special records request.

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See the financial plan. The annual budget package shows planned income, spending, reserve contributions and capital projects, including when seasonal expenses are expected.
Receive regular financial reports. Quarterly reports show balances, income, expenses, reserves and unpaid assessments in an accessible, downloadable format. The first three reports are due within 45 days after quarter-end; the year-end package is due within 75 days.
Compare promises with results. Reports compare actual results with the original and current approved budgets. Changes, unexpected spending and significant differences must be explained, rather than hidden by rewriting the original budget.
Understand reserves and the year-end outlook. Homeowners can see major project budgets, spending, unpaid commitments and remaining funds. Second- and third-quarter reports also project the expected year-end position.
Protect privacy without hiding the totals. Individual homeowner accounts and bank credentials stay private. Aggregate figures remain available, errors must be corrected openly, and existing records-inspection rights are preserved.

Full proposal

Violation enforcement

This proposed policy makes fixing a documented violation the goal, rather than generating fines or pushing homeowners into litigation.

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Verify the rule and the facts first. Enforcement must rest on a specific written requirement and reliable evidence. Personal preference, retaliation, unsupported complaints and unjustified unequal treatment are not acceptable grounds.
Give homeowners a chance to resolve the issue. The normal process begins with a courtesy notice and at least 30 days to correct the condition, followed by further notice, an opportunity for discussion, a hearing and applicable appeal rights before collection or escalation.
Allow aesthetic enforcement with safeguards. Continuing appearance-only violations can lead to fines, but only under a clear, objective, published standard, with evidence of persistence, meaningful communication, a final cure deadline and an explicit warning.
Limit fines and stop them when the violation is fixed. Continuing fines cannot exceed $100 per day or $2,500 for the same violation. The board cannot evade the cap by relabeling one condition, and accrual stops on the date of cure.
Reserve escalation for when it is justified. The proposal prohibits foreclosure based solely on fines and related charges, requires additional safeguards before use-restriction litigation, and permits faster protective action for serious harm without eliminating hearing rights or fine limits.

Full proposal

Vendor selection

This proposed policy creates a fair, documented way to choose managers, contractors and professional advisers while protecting homeowner funds and the Association's independence.

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Define the job before choosing the provider. Material engagements need a written scope and evaluation criteria. The board seeks proposals from at least two qualified providers when reasonably available, with documented reasons when competition is impracticable.
Choose value, not favoritism. Cost, competence, service quality and risk are considered together. Financial, family, referral and industry relationships must be disclosed, and conflicted directors follow recusal rules.
Explain the choice. The selection and contract require a recorded board vote. Homeowners receive the nonconfidential reasons, service scope, contract term and compensation method.
Protect the Association's position. Contracts should address fees, performance, confidentiality, records, account access, termination and transition assistance. Percentage-based compensation tied to fines and homeowner recoveries is restricted, with narrow legally reviewed exceptions.
Keep advisers accountable. Providers act within board-granted authority rather than private instructions from individual directors. General counsel should emphasize lawful governance, homeowner rights and dispute prevention. Urgent needs can use a shortened, documented process.

Full proposal

Supporting selection document

Counsel selection

This proposed selection document helps the board choose an attorney who protects the Association through practical advice, sound governance and prevention of unnecessary disputes.

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Make the client relationship clear. The Association is the client, not individual directors or management. The engagement must identify who is authorized to give instructions.
Favor prevention and independent judgment. Candidates are assessed on compliance, contracts, homeowner rights, mediation and their willingness to advise against improper or unnecessarily adversarial action.
Expose costs and incentives before hiring. Firms must disclose fees, conflicts, referral arrangements, industry affiliations and how much of their practice depends on homeowner collections, foreclosure or enforcement litigation. Industry membership alone is not an automatic disqualification.
Compare firms consistently. A 100-point scorecard evaluates competence, judgment, independence, communication, fees and references. Firms must support their responses rather than rely on a sales pitch.
Avoid blanket authority and protect continuity. The proposal rejects firms demanding general authorization for adversarial action without matter-specific board approval. The selection is documented, and the engagement must provide for prompt transfer of Association files when required.

Full proposal

Elections and transitions

This proposed policy makes elections easier to understand, protects homeowners' voting choices and establishes a documented handoff to the elected board.

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Publish the rules beforehand. Owners receive clear information about the meeting, available seats, candidate qualifications, nominations, proxies and voting procedures. New restrictions cannot be invented during the election.
Protect participation. Eligible candidates can be nominated from the floor or elected by write-in. Valid proxies cannot be rejected merely because they use a different form, and homeowners can attend and arrange to vote personally after signing a proxy.
Keep administration neutral. Candidates receive equal treatment, Association resources cannot favor a slate, and the same validation standards apply to every proxy and ballot. Contested elections use secret ballots.
Make results checkable. Authorized observers can watch counting without seeing private voting choices. Vote totals, disputed ballots, corrections and recounts are documented, with procedures for raising election concerns.
Require an orderly transition. The proposal calls for elected directors to take office when the election becomes final unless higher controlling authority specifies otherwise. It sets deadlines for transferring records, accounts, credentials and pending business so the new board can function.

Full proposal

Related program

Quarterly resident feedback

This proposed program gives residents a regular way to report how well the board and management are serving the community, and requires the board to show what it does with that feedback.

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Ask regularly, not just at election time. A short survey would begin about 90 days after a new board takes office and repeat every three months.
Measure what matters to residents. Questions cover communication, transparency, responsiveness, fairness, maintenance and experiences contacting the Association.
Protect individual responses. Results are reported in aggregate, and comments are summarized without exposing personal information. Unfavorable responses cannot be removed just because the board disagrees with them.
Publish results and follow through. Within 21 days after the survey closes, the board would publish findings and specific next steps, with responsible people and target dates. Later reports would show progress on earlier commitments.
Keep feedback separate from formal rights. The survey is not an election or binding referendum, and it does not replace applications, complaints, records requests, hearings or appeals.

Implementation plan and status

Review the proposed sequence and follow the published status.

See the first-year plan Check the progress