Dear Misty Glen Neighbors,
The Board would like to formally apologize for the situation that occurred on or about Aug. 31st, 2021 on social media and any confusion that it may have caused. We would like to assure everyone that we have taken steps to ensure that issues such as this will not occur again. To that end, we would also like to address some of the very serious claims that were made about questionable or unethical activity of the Board. Below you will find an accounting of those claims and the actions that the Board has or will be taking to address those concerns.
The Board would like to remind everyone that there are open board and committee lead/member positions. We encourage everyone to volunteer for these positions as we believe that the more people that we have involved the stronger the community will be as a result. If you would like to be considered for a board position please complete the application on the website here: https://mistyglenhoa.org/application This ensures that all applications understand the expectations of being a board member.
Lastly, the Board would like to invite Melinda J. Neeley to volunteer on the Board or as a Committee Lead/Member. We believe that Melinda’s involvement with the community both prior and present offers a unique opportunity. Melinda’s insight and criticisms are vital to ensuring that the Board continues to make Misty Glen the best community possible.
Below is an accounting of some of the concerns that were raised during the course of conversation on social media. The Board hopes that by addressing these items that it will help to elevate some of the confusion that surrounds some of these topics. As always, we encourage anyone that has questions to reach out to us via email at: info@mistyglenhoa.org so that the Board can address any concerns.
Board and Committee Compensation
All of the community members that volunteer as part of the board and on the committees are unpaid volunteers. The Board believes that members of our community should freely give their time to their community and should not receive financial compensation.
Bylaws/Covenants
To the best of the Board's knowledge there are no bylaws in addition to the covenant. The Board has requested all information related to Misty Glen HOA that is on file with Richland county and has not found that there are additional bylaws. You can find a copy of the current covenant on the website here: https://mistyglenhoa.org/covenant The Board is committed to upholding this version of the covenant and cannot enforce or operate outside of the guidance of this document.
Conflict of Interest
Claims of conflicts of interest are considered critical and very serious. The Board has investigated each of these claims and has not found any of them to be true. While the covenant does not provide much direct guidance on conflicts of interest the Board is highly conscious of this and regularly has conversations to ensure that decisions are fair and impartial. The Board would encourage anyone that is aware of a conflict of interest to please inform us via email at info@mistyglenhoa.org or to a board member directly.
Property Management Company Services
Property management companies provide a very specific set of services which can be negotiated at the time of discussing a contract. In the contracts that were provided in prior research it was never detailed that the property management company could or would have oversight of any voting or decision making process. In fact, quite the opposite was true and the property management company often had language in their contract stating that they would not participate in board activities and would only take action if told to do so by the board.
Voting Protocols and Procedures
While the covenant does outline who is a voting member or not it does not outline specifics around how the board must vote on vendors or other items. There is no requirement for the board to seek approval or consensus from the community for regular business matters. It is expected that the Board operates with the best interest of the community in mind. That said, The Board does feel that the current version of the covenant is lacking in this area and has planned to make additions to clearly state expectations for voting and decisions.
Receipts and Invoices
The Board discusses the services and expectations of each vendor before agreeing to use their services. Before any vendor is used the Board votes internally to ensure there is consensus. A detailed line item invoice or receipt is not always required or provided by the vendor and in some cases the Board has agreed to services being rendered based on an understanding of services that will be provided either from prior engagements. Before any payments are made the Board discusses any items of concern.
Going forward the Board has committed to a review of the finances at least quarterly. To ensure that this review occurs the Treasurer will present any financial expenditures at board meetings and provide an overview of the finances to be included in the meeting notes.
Access to HOA Email Account/Email List
All Board members and select committee members are provided with access to the HOA email account. The email list is maintained as part of the email account to ensure that anyone that has access to the HOA Email account also has access to the email list. In addition, all contact information for HOA property owners is stored as part of the members financial record. The Board treats this information as confidential and does not freely provide this information. Additionally, we strive to ensure that any messages to the community are controlled and well thought out to ensure that undue confusion is avoided.
