Many questions come up during HOA Election time, which is every November. We hope this page, in order of occurrence, will help answer some of those questions.
PROXIES – The proxy is not the ballot of candidates for the HOA. The HOA Board needs at least 10% of proxies to be returned in order to conduct business during our annual meeting. In other words, we need the combination of 80 (proxies received or people in attendance) to fulfill the 10% requirement. A good practice is to fill out your proxy and return as a “For Quorum Purposes Only” just in case something comes up and you can’t make the meeting at the last minute. If a quorum is not reached, the meeting must be rescheduled and costs the HOA a lot of money as all of the items must be mailed again and additional meetings must be called.
THE ANNUAL TMMD (TRAILMARK METRO DISTRICT) MEETING – The Metro District will hold a Public Hearing immediately preceding the Annual HOA Meeting to consider the following year’s budget.
THE ANNUAL HOA MEETING – The annual HOA meeting is held to ratify the next year’s budget as well as present the Board of Director candidates for the HOA.
HOA BOARD CANDIDATES – Residents who wish to run for the HOA Board can add their name to the annual meeting election during the November annual meeting, as per our CCR’s. Or they may contact the Property Manager before the annual meeting.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR BEING ON THE BOARD – As outlined in the Association Bylaws: “A Director may be any natural person and need not be an Owner of a Lot within the Community Area; provided, however, that upon the expiration of the Declarant’s Control Period, at least a majority of the Directors shall be Owners…” It is important to keep in mind that the qualifications to be a Director and the qualifications to vote vary. To cast a vote for Association issues, the Lot for which the vote is being cast must be in good standing, that is, no outstanding fines or dues are allowed, in order to vote.
VOTING – One vote, one ballot per household is permitted. According to our CCR’s, your current HOA dues must be paid in full in order for your vote to count.
COUNTING BALLOTS – The HOA needs volunteers to process and count ballots. In order to volunteer, you may not be related or affiliated with any of the HOA candidates running for a Board position. If you wish to help with this process, please contact the Property Manager.
BOARD POSITIONS – HOA Board positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Member at Large. Once the new Board is elected, the five Board members will meet and determine which positions each Board member will hold for the upcoming year.
DUTIES OF THE HOA BOARD – The Board is responsible for maintaining and honoring the Declarations, Bylaws, and Design Review Guidelines of the community. The Board reviews/approves all contracts for work done in the common area. The Board receives emails from residents who voice concerns, complaints and/or ideas. The Board is responsible for holding homeowners accountable to the standards set in the covenants. The Board is responsible for the financial state of the Association in which they set dues, approve all invoices, and maintain a balanced budget. The Board is ultimately responsible for the trash contract, social events, maintenance and upkeep of Association property, and all things administrative (insurance, reserve study, etc.). Each Board member is assigned a committee for which they are the liaison between the Board and that committee. In this capacity, the Board member attends committee meetings and advises the Board on on-going committee activities. The Board currently meets every other month, in the odd number months, on the 2nd Tuesday at 7pm.
TIME COMMITMENT TO BE ON THE BOARD – Typically, Board members spend about 10-15 hours each week dealing with HOA items: emails; phone calls; visits from neighbors; reviewing and overseeing contracts; performing site visits; attending various meetings with agencies such as City of Littleton, JEFFCO, SSPR and/or fielding and responding to issues presented by these entities; provides guidance to our committees; etc. During the week when there is a Board meeting, the time spent on HOA issues is approximately 15-20 hours to facilitate meeting preparation and meeting attendance.
TERM LENGTH AND TERM LIMITS – Terms are 2-years in length. This is to ensure that not all five Board members change at once, to allow consistency in governance. There are no term limits for how many times a person can sit on the Board.