The HOA Meeting

Tonight was our HOA, "who's in charge", meeting. I felt I should go, since I had forgotten the insanity of last year's near lynching of the HOA president.

I don't always agree with the HOA president, but she has good intentions that aren't always presented in the best manner. For example, we frequently get newsletters that demean homeowners for not making matters of the community their full time and support (i.e. not attending the yearly Easter egg hunt or decorating the entrance for the holidays.) I always feel like I am being chastened before I've had an opportunity to participate.

Then there are the surveys. We should have a survey to end surveys.

We had some guest speakers. My favorite was the animal control person who spoke on rabies vaccinations and told a compelling story about a wolf that intervened a pizza delivery and ended up having to be put down.

Like last year, this meeting became a forum for the brazen few. The rest of us were forced to listen to their ramblings. Here's some highlights from tonight's meeting.

"Who's in charge of the fences?"

"Who's in charge of the neighborhood sprinkler system?"

"Who's in charge of city park next to our neighborhood?"

"Who's in charge of fining vehicles that park illegally two miles from our neighborhood?"

"Who's in charge of owners that let their dogs poop on other people's lawn?"

"Who can I call if the neighborhood sprinklers are running, and it's raining outside?"

"Who decides that all the trees get planted near the fences, it seems to be city wide?"

"What do I do if someone parks the wrong way on my street?"

"Did that wolf get to eat any of that pizza?" (I wish I was kidding!)

These were all followed by a lengthy discussion of the ethics of allowing an option for homeowner's to allow the board president to vote by proxy on an issue. "Because one person having that much power is unethical!" It was truly ridiculous.

I now see why it is so difficult for the board to get a mere 10 percent of the neighborhood to attend, or send in proxy votes, to actually hold the meetings.

Apparently, they are all smarter than me.