LauraH12 (Texas)
Posts: 3
Posts: 3
Posted:
I moved in to an HOA in Texas in The fall of 2018. Some of our roads are owned by our county but not all. Those that are owned by the HOA are dirt roads. The lots we bought had been approved for paving,or as the manager called it, hot topping. At one of the spring 2019 board meeting the general manager-a paid employee of the HOA, ask the board to remove the prior approved roads because the county “might” take them in. This was an effort to save HOA monies she explained. I might add that she’s worked as the GM for well over 20 years. It also came to light that she had hired her daughter to also work in the office -at $48,000 and her grandson to head our maintenance. All told, based on the P&L’s through Jan 2020, we will pay this family $146,000 for our physical 2019-2020 budget year which ends March 31, 2020.
I began asking questions about our HOA finances and was shut down by our GM and secretary/treasurer and told if I wanted any answers outside the Balance Sheet and P&L to file an Open Records Request.
I did this and got a letter from the attorney paid by our HOA. The date was set for August 15, 2019. The day prior to the execution of the ORR our BOD approved the purchase of a $700 steal gun safe to keep all financial records in. Of course financial records are what I wanted to review. AR/AP, bank statements, etc.
The morning I got to our office to review review records, all I was allowed to see was CC&R’s, plays, maps, and By-Laws. No financial records were permitted to be reviewed. According to our office managers daughter, our (the HOA attorney my dues pay) said no financials could be reviewed.
I might add that our HOA has never had an audit. I pushed for a forensic audit but that was “to expensive” so a standard audit for the first time in our HOA existence was done. Of course a regular audit does not use the set rules designed to find fraud.
Our own By-Laws state any copies made during an ORR is $.10 per page. No mention of any labor yet when I went to retrieve the copies of board meeting minutes, they added $347 in labor beyond the per page cost.
Another member has now made an ORR via certified mail but was told by our GM that it would be $89.50 and still no financials will be allowed to be reviewed.
The Orr I executed was video taped in full by my husband.
One other thing, in the fall of 2018 it was discovered that two board members were not land owners in our community. One of the gentleman had been on the board only for a year. He was summarily dismissed. However, the other gentleman had been on the board over ten years...now for twelve years. The GM and our board sold him a lot owned by the HOA for $100. The appraisal does strict valued it at $2500. There was never a membership vote to sell him the land allowing him to stay on as a board member. This is discussed in the video during the ORR. Our secretary/treasurer explains that his house was repossessed (a little over sharing by her) and they needed to find him land. Actually he had NEVER owned land, the woman (actually two different women at different times) had owned property but the last woman had gone through foreclosure. The office and our board seem to think this is all just fine AND legal.
I have all supporting documents and videos. I’ve filed a complaint with our law enforcement but that went no where. She’s been in the county for years. But I might add she, nor her daughter or grandson live in our community.
I’ve filed a complaint with the Texas attorney general and have sent a packet to theTexas Rangers for our district. I’ve contacted our local paper and the reporter even attended a couple of board meetings but daily’s this story appeals her but is low on the totem pole.
Any other ideas? Thoughts? My thoughts, now six months in to this and the GM and board continue to refuse Orr is He who has nothing to hide, hides nothing.
I’m be last thing. The GM says if I don’t pay the labor billed on my statement, she will not allow my six votes to be counted. I’m attaching a copy of our Bylaw regarding copies.
HELP!!!!!
I began asking questions about our HOA finances and was shut down by our GM and secretary/treasurer and told if I wanted any answers outside the Balance Sheet and P&L to file an Open Records Request.
I did this and got a letter from the attorney paid by our HOA. The date was set for August 15, 2019. The day prior to the execution of the ORR our BOD approved the purchase of a $700 steal gun safe to keep all financial records in. Of course financial records are what I wanted to review. AR/AP, bank statements, etc.
The morning I got to our office to review review records, all I was allowed to see was CC&R’s, plays, maps, and By-Laws. No financial records were permitted to be reviewed. According to our office managers daughter, our (the HOA attorney my dues pay) said no financials could be reviewed.
I might add that our HOA has never had an audit. I pushed for a forensic audit but that was “to expensive” so a standard audit for the first time in our HOA existence was done. Of course a regular audit does not use the set rules designed to find fraud.
Our own By-Laws state any copies made during an ORR is $.10 per page. No mention of any labor yet when I went to retrieve the copies of board meeting minutes, they added $347 in labor beyond the per page cost.
Another member has now made an ORR via certified mail but was told by our GM that it would be $89.50 and still no financials will be allowed to be reviewed.
The Orr I executed was video taped in full by my husband.
One other thing, in the fall of 2018 it was discovered that two board members were not land owners in our community. One of the gentleman had been on the board only for a year. He was summarily dismissed. However, the other gentleman had been on the board over ten years...now for twelve years. The GM and our board sold him a lot owned by the HOA for $100. The appraisal does strict valued it at $2500. There was never a membership vote to sell him the land allowing him to stay on as a board member. This is discussed in the video during the ORR. Our secretary/treasurer explains that his house was repossessed (a little over sharing by her) and they needed to find him land. Actually he had NEVER owned land, the woman (actually two different women at different times) had owned property but the last woman had gone through foreclosure. The office and our board seem to think this is all just fine AND legal.
I have all supporting documents and videos. I’ve filed a complaint with our law enforcement but that went no where. She’s been in the county for years. But I might add she, nor her daughter or grandson live in our community.
I’ve filed a complaint with the Texas attorney general and have sent a packet to theTexas Rangers for our district. I’ve contacted our local paper and the reporter even attended a couple of board meetings but daily’s this story appeals her but is low on the totem pole.
Any other ideas? Thoughts? My thoughts, now six months in to this and the GM and board continue to refuse Orr is He who has nothing to hide, hides nothing.
I’m be last thing. The GM says if I don’t pay the labor billed on my statement, she will not allow my six votes to be counted. I’m attaching a copy of our Bylaw regarding copies.
HELP!!!!!